A New Hampshire Thanksgiving
by kcat1971
Summary: [Transitions Universe Story # 16] (November 2008) Sometimes, family is what you make.
1. Chapter 1

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MONDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2008

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"So . . . . how was your birthday?' Helen smirks and questions me as soon as I walk into her office on Monday morning. I knew this was coming but I still can't help but blush a little.

I've never been one to kiss and tell, but Helen looks positively giddy at the chance for some girl talk. I'd prefer to wait until we're alone in the Residence, but I've discovered that a little bit of friendly conversation goes a long way towards Helen's overall happiness with her lot in life.

I won't go into great detail obviously, but I can dish a little.

"It was so romantic! He took me to the Ritz. We had room service and massages and bubble baths. Almost 24 uninterupted hours of togetherness. It was incredible."

Helen gets a little frown. "I though you were staying 2 nights? Did something happen with Lulu?"

"No, we just missed her. Our lives are hetic. It feels like we don't spend enough time with her as it is. One night away was enough."

Helen smiles gently at me. "I remember what it was like when Peter and Miranda were small. I'd desperately want a break, but around the second or third day, I'd miss them so much, I just wanted to go home. But the older they got, the longer of a break I could handle. Honestly, they were always more ready to be apart then I was. By the time they were in elementary school, they started asking to spend more time with grandparents or cousins. It's really not a big deal anymore. You'll get there."

"Yeah, but I don't think it will be any time soon. My Mom offered to take Lulu for the full week after Christmas. You should have seen Josh's face!"

"I'll bet." Helen giggles. "I know Matt loves our kids, but I swear I have never met a more devoted father than Josh Lyman! I never would have guessed that when I first met him."

"He wants to have another baby."

Helen squeals "ooh. . . you should! Lulu needs a sibling."

"Have you been talking to Josh's Mom?"

"No. . ." Helen hesitates, I can see she's wondering if she's about to cross a line. "Don't you want another one?"

I smile at her, trying to put her at ease. I'm perfectly fine with her asking. "I do, but I like what I do here. I feel like we're all managing. Would we be able to handle another? How would it affect our jobs?"

I'm mostly talking about Josh and I, but honestly, Helen is fairly involved in our child care arrangement. I'm half asking her as my friend and half asking her as my employer, half asking her as my back-up nanny. This can be such a touchy subject between women under normal circumstances, and there's no question that our circumstances aren't normal.

"Donna, I really believe you can do anything you put your mind to. It'll work out. I love that Lulu spends a lot of time in the Residence. And of course, you know you can take as much time off as you need."

I know she means well with that offer, but it's not quite as comforting as she intended it. It often feels like I'm a lot more politically motivated than Helen is. She worked part time when Peter was born, then stayed home full time after Miranda arrived. That's just not me. I love Lulu and I love spending time with her everyday. But being off on maternity leave was not fulfilling for me. If I hadn't needed the physical recovery time, I would have come back sooner. It was only my online class that kept me from going bonkers. I really do like the idea of another child, but I'm nervous about messing with the status quo. Two Lyman children in the White House might just be too much. I'm not really ready to share ALL my thoughts on this with Helen.

"Well, I don't really have to decide this today. So let's get to work now."

"Okay." Helen sighs, "tell me what my next two weeks looks like."

"It's not too bad. Tomorrow, it'll just be Senior Staff around. We've got the Veteran's Day Memorial at Arlington in the afternoon. Wednesday, we'll start prepping for the Women in Congress brunch for January. I'll start reaching out to the new Congresswomen and welcome them and make sure we get on their calendars. We're stuffing backpacks on Friday for Feeding America. Then next week, the only appearance is the Soup Kitchen on Friday. And then of course, the Thanksgiving festivities. . . . "

"And then four days off! I can't wait!"

"Even if it is spending time with Matt's family?" I like to tease her but the truth is, she gets along with most of his family.

"Yes, there won't be as many of us as there was at Camp David, but we'll still be packed into the house. Carmen offered to host, but the Secret Service doesn't want to try to secure her place. The kids can't wait to see their cousins. Peter is especially ready for a break from school."

I make a mental note to check up on that. I know this year has been rough on him. I wonder if there is anything I can do.

"You guys are going to New Hampshire again, right?"

"Yes."

"Just can't get enough Presidential time?" Helen teases me.

"Something like that." I laugh. Helen likes to tease us about how close we are to the Bartlets, but I think it actually really comforts her. I think it reminds her that the relationships we develop in this place really do last after the administration comes to an end.

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SUNDAY NOVEMBER 16

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"Do you want to change planes in Detroit or Charlotte?" I call out to Josh from across the room.

"I don't want to change plans at all!" He yells back in a snarky tone. He's been in a mood for a few days, so I try to use my patient voice with him.

"After all these years, you think I don't know that? But, there aren't any direct flights from Dulles to Manchester. So what do you want to do?"

Every time I've tried to nail down our travel plans, he's put me off. But it really can't wait much longer. Ron needs to know what we are doing.

"I don't want to change planes." He grumbles again, with a little less of a tone, but still avoiding the answer, and going back to his briefing memo.

Setting my laptop down on the coffee table, I get up and walk over to the dining room table where he's spread out. I stand behind him and massage his shoulders a bit. He's really tense. Something is going on that he hasn't told me. I wasn't oblivious to the amount of Secret Service that accompanied us to the Soup Kitchen on Friday. I know he can't tell me everything. I just hate how anxious it makes him. I could help share the burden if he'd let me.

I lean down and whisper in his ear. "We could drive to New Hampshire. I'm sure ten hours in a car with a one year old would be very relaxing."

He gives an exasperated sigh, but I feel his shoulders relax, just a little tiny bit. He needs a distraction from whatever is bothering him. So I suck his earlobe into my mouth. I can't help but grin as he groans while I nibble on it a little.

"So, family road trip? Are we driving?" I'm still looking for an answer to my first question even as I tease him.

"You're evil. I'm trying to work here."

"You need a break. Tell you what, for every decision we make about this trip, I'll take off an article of clothing."

Josh sits up straight, then turns to look at me. I'm relieved to see a smirk on his face.

"Deal. We'll leave the day before Thanksgiving. After work. That's two decisions. Take your top off. Bra too."

. . . .

As I lay in his arms, listening to his heartbeat, Josh caresses my hair. This is how we center ourselves, how we over-come the challenges. When we are together like this we both feel stronger. We lay quietly for quite a while, and I wonder if Josh has fallen asleep, until he starts to speak quietly.

"I love you so much. I'm sorry I've been grouchy."

"It's okay. I still love you."

"I hate keeping things from you."

"I know. You'll tell me when you can tell me."

He sits up and I shift so that I can look at him. My heart beat kicks up. Whatever is stressing him out is a big deal, I can't help but worry at what I'm about to find out. Whatever it is, we'll get through it together. A look passes over his face, and then he is resolute again.

"Honestly, Donna, some of the stuff . . . I hope I never have to tell you." He gives me a long kiss. "Go to sleep. I need to work a little longer."

Then he gets up, pulls on some sweats, and goes back out to the table.

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MONDAY NOVEMBER 17

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After our morning staff meeting, I stop by Ron's office. "Hey Linda," I greet his secretary. "Is Ron available? Or does he have time later today? I think I've got a reasonable handle on our Thanksgiving travel plans." She doesn't need to know how I finally got Josh to be willing to make decisions.

"Looks like he's free. Let me just check." She picks up her phone. "Donna Lyman here to see you."

Linda smiles at me as she hangs up the phone. "Go on in."

"Hey Ron." I greet him as I walk through the door.

"Donna. It's always good to see you. What's up?"

"I think we've figured out our Thanksgiving travel- at least the best we ever can." He knows as well as I do that these could change at the last minute, at least for one of us.

"You're going to the farm again?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"Not at all. It's much easier than when you visit your parents."

"I'm sorry, but my parents _are_ expecting us at Christmas."

Ron smiles gently at me. "Don't be sorry, Donna. You tell us what you need. We figure out how to make it work. That's our job. Now, what's happening next week?"

"Well, there isn't a direct flight to Manchester that works for us this year. We were thinking we could fly into Logan, then drive to the farm."

"That's not a problem. In fact, I much prefer that to having you change planes."

"You and Josh both!"

Ron chuckles. "What time would you be leaving?"

"There's a Five O'clock flight from Dulles that will get us to Boston just after 6:30. So we'll leave Wednesday after work and come back on Sunday afternoon."

"I'll send Kevin and Susan with you on the flight to Boston. Then we'll have field agents pick you up from the airport and drive you to the farm. We'll assign two extra agents to the farm detail while you are there. The Bartlets don't have shadow protection unless they actually leave the property. The same will go for you and Josh. Does that work for you?"

"So our agents will get Thanksgiving off?"

"Yes. They'll meet you back at Logan on Sunday afternoon."

"That sounds perfect!" I'm delighted. I always feel bad when the agents have to work on holidays. I mean, obviously the field agents do, but it's easier when I don't know them personally.

"Do you have all the flight information with you?"

"Yes."

"Leave it with Linda and we'll book everything. Same credit card as on file?"

"Yes. Thanks Ron."

"Anytime, Donna."

I leave Ron's office smirking to myself a little. This isn't the first time we've done this, but it always feels a little surreal. Traveling without the First Family is an intricate dance because we can't use government aircraft. But we have enough of a security detail to require some extra steps and the involvement of the Secret Service. I know we get some special treatment, including pretty much guaranteed seating for us and our agents, by-passing security, and being seated last, and let off the plane first, but we still have to figure out how we are traveling and pay for it ourselves. Ron isn't our travel agent!

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TUESDAY NOVEMBER 25

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"Josh is on line one." Karen announces through the speaker and I grin to myself.

"Hello."

"Turkeys are here." He announces with glee.

"I'll be right down."

I hang up without saying goodbye and hussle out of my office. "I'll be in the West Wing." I announce to Karen as I rush by.

I get to his office breathless. "Where'd you have them put?"

"Lou's office!" He chortles.

"Is she back yet?"

"No, still on the hill. I had her take a fake meeting."

He grabs my hand and we head over toward the communications bullpen to get a good seat for the show, grinning the whole time. The key here is to be in a position to watch without it being obvious, and for no one to realize that it's Josh and I orchestrating the Turkey surprise.

Last year, we got Bram. It wasn't as much fun for me because I was home and just heard about it second hand. And Bram didn't wig out anyway. He's pretty good at just rolling with the punches. He handled all the Thanksgiving activities with no problem.

Josh must be looking for a little more excitement this year. I'm just glad that whatever was bothering him seems to have passed within the last day or so and he's back to himself.

"Here." He hands me a folder and leads me into the Roosevelt Room. "Sit here like we are having a meeting. That way we can see when Lou gets back. Pretend like you are talking to me."

"How 'bout I actually talk to you?"

"Ah-kay that could work."

Just then Lou power walks past the doors. Josh grins at me and stands up.

"Wait a second, let her get closer to her office first." I count to ten slowly while we grin at each other then jerk my head toward the door. We're at the doorway of the communications bullpen when we hear the turkeys gobbling and Lou's outraged voice yell-

"JOSHUA LYMAN!"

So much for stealth.

"Okay, I'm outta here. Good luck, babe." I tell him as I turn to head back to my office.

"Where are you going?" Josh whines. "You're going to make me face her alone?"

"Yes, Lulu needs at least one of us alive."


	2. Chapter 2

I can finally breathe again after the stress of last week. For a while there, I thought that we were going to have to cancel our travel plans. Some days, I miss being the deputy Chief of Staff and not being brought into the room quite so early in the process. Getting briefed on chatter about planned terror attacks the week before holiday travel will really do a number to the blood pressure.

But we got a sleeper cell. We stopped their plans, and we have even better intel for the future. And my wife and daughter are standing here with me watching the President pardon a turkey, none-the-wiser.

It's not that I don't trust Donna with the information, it's that I don't want to take away any more of her innocence than is already gone. And since Matt decided not to tell Helen, I didn't need to tell Donna.

Sam catches my eyes as he pulls Ainsley in a little closer. I'm sure he's feeling the same way about being on the inside right now. Sometimes I feel bad for sucking him back into this life, but most of the time, I'm incredibly glad he's the one doing this with me.

"Gobble, Gobble. Daddy. Gobble, gobble." Lulu pulls me out of my morose thoughts, patting my face and pointing to the turkey.

"Gobble, gobble." I repeat back to her under my breath shifting her to my other hip. Just a couple more hours here and we can get going. I'm ready to try to relax and I find that much easier when we are with our family who understands what our jobs are like.

Bram steps to the podium and starts singing "We gather together." I'm happy to join in. The irony of how many hymns I've learned is not lost on me. But I am thankful to be standing here. Thankful for another day with my family. Thankful for the ability to make a difference in the world.

Once the song is over, Lulu claps her hands in delight. She does love music. In a few years, I'll buy her a piano.

President Santos waves to the crowd as he leaves the Rose Garden to go back to the Oval Office. I hand Lulu off to Donna. "We'll be up in a bit." I place a kiss on her cheek as she starts to follow Helen, Peter and Miranda toward the Residence.

The White House Press Corps doesn't even blink at our affection anymore. At first we were a bit of a human interest story, but we've grown boring, which is perfectly fine with me.

Instead of taking his chair behind the desk, Matt sits down in an arm chair. I take my customary place across from him. As the Senior staff filters back inside, they join us in various seats.

"Nice job, Bram." Matt offers him with a smiles.

"Thank you, sir. Those years of glee club have really paid off."

"I'm sure your Mom is very proud."

"You know it. I'm sure they taped it off c-span and everyone will be forced to watch it again after dinner tomorrow."

"Speaking of tomorrow." I chime in with a serious tone and everyone groans. Ha. Got them. "We are done for the day. I wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your time with family and friends."

Matt grins at me and stands up. Everyone follows suit, then wishes the President a happy thanksgiving and heads out the door. I know my staff. They'll all go back to their desk and finish up any last minute things. I also know that most of them don't have anything to work on, so I hope they'll go home.

When it's just Matt, Sam and I left, I give them an update.

"The agency has continued to monitor all chatter. They have believable intelligence that this attack has been completely thwarted. They are confident that simply raising the terror alert level to what is normal for holiday travel is sufficient."

"So Josh, are YOU confident in this decision?"

"Yes, Mr. President. They arrested the sleepers on Sunday. They got all of them and they got all the devices and plans. There is nothing from the chatter either before or after to give any indication that there is anything else in the works for this weekend. I'm confident enough to fly through Logan myself, and take my family."

"I gotta tell you," Sam confesses, "I don't mind being the one that is staying in town this time. I'm a little surprised you are getting on a plane tonight. Honestly, man. I sort of expected that you'd be wrapping Donna and Lulu up in bubble wrap and staying home this weekend."

"We have to trust our intelligence and we have to live our lives, Sam. It is hard, but we can't live in fear. We have to lead."

"Well said, Josh." Matt gives me his half smile and nod that let's me know I've impressed him. "Besides, Sam, the real reason you didn't want to travel is that you didn't want to have to visit your in-laws. You're just happy to have your wife to yourself this weekend."

"Well, yes, that is true."

"How is Ainsley feeling?"

"Hungry. All the time."

"And how is that any different?"

"It's not. It's just the combination of things that she eats! I guess I'm not surprised that she got the weird craving thing going on."

"So what are you guys doing for dinner tomorrow?"

"We ordered a pre-cooked turkey. Bram is actually staying in town too. He's stopping by and he's bringing someone with him."

"Anyone we know?" Matt asks. He's just as much a yenta as Jed Bartlet was.

"As a matter of fact, nice young lady name Karen. Works outside your wife's office."

"Really! I wonder if Donna knows." This could be good. I can drive her crazy dangling a juicy bit of gossip over her head.

"All right you two, speaking of wives. I promised ours we wouldn't linger any longer than necessary after the ceremony. See you Monday, Sam."

Matt heads toward the door. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." I tell him as I turn towards Sam.

"Alright, buddy. Thanks for manning the fort. I'm only a phone call away if you need me."

"I won't let you down."

"You never do."

I give Sam one last grin and hussle out the door after Matt. He's walking fairly slowly to allow me to catch up. I appreciate it.

"Sam's set for this weekend. He'll call me if something happens. But hopefully all will be quiet."

"It'll be fine, Josh. Try to relax this weekend."

"Says the man who's never vacationed with Jed Bartlet." I chuckle.

"He's not one for relaxing?" Matt looks confused.

"His version of relaxing is a recitation of some inane trivia. And Donna encourages him! At some point, I'll probably hear all about the history of the yam. In Latin."

Matt chuckles then. He thinks I'm kidding. I'm not, but the truth is, now that his lectures don't come in the middle of the night and the middle of the oval office, I don't mind them so much. And I love watching him holding Lulu while explaining the purposes of rotational planting half way through singing Old MacDonald had a Farm.

When we arrive on the second floor, we find the girls in the living room drinking coffee without any kids around.

"Where's Lulu?"

"Miranda's room. They are playing tea party."

I'm not so sure about a seven and a half year old watching a one year old. Donna notices my discomfort and smiles gently at me. "Peter's in there too."

Ah. Okay. That's better. He's a good kid, he'll make sure Lulu doesn't put anything in her mouth that she's not supposed to.

I catch Helen throwing a conspiratorial wink at Donna while I walk over to the coffee cart and pour myself a cup. Sometimes I swear the two of them spend their days figuring out how to push my boundaries. They probably have a bet going on how long it will take me to go check up on Lulu.

Well, hell. I don't care.

"I'm just going to go check on her." I throw over my shoulder as I head out the door.

I'm barely in the hallway when I hear Helen announce. "Two minutes." I don't even think they are trying to hold back their laughter.

Miranda gives me a bright smile as I enter the room. "Tio Josh!"

Then Lulu turns and grins at me too. "Da-dee!" She quickly crawls to my leg. "Up." She demands.

"Hold on, baby girl. I've got coffee here."

"I'll hold it." Peter offers, holding out his hand.

"Thanks, man."

Once I hand him the cup, I pick Lulu up and give her a hug and a kiss.

"Will you finish the tea party with us, Tio Josh?" Miranda begs in a sweet voice.

"Sure, sweetie." I plop Lulu back into the little chair, then sit down on the floor next to her.

Miranda pretends to pour me a cup of tea, then places a small plate with a fake cupcake in front of me. While I am, enjoying my imaginary drink, Peter takes a drink of my coffee and makes a face.

"Dude. You might want to wait a few years to start that habit."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Nobody else in your class drinks coffee, do they?" I guess maybe they do? I know Anna was hitting me up for Starbucks runs last summer, but she's in high school.

"I don't know." Peter scowls and takes another drink. I'm no expert on child behavior but even I can tell that his attitude completely changed when I mentioned school. Matt told me that things aren't going so well this year. I wonder if I can get him to open up.

"Hey. Everything okay?" While I get up and join him on the bed, Lulu looks at me with big eyes. "You're fine. I'm not going anywhere." I tell her as I settle back against the wall.

Peter hands me my coffee and I take a long drink, while I wait him out for a response. But he remains stubbornly silent.

"You can talk to me, Pete. What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just can't wait to get out of here and go home."

"This isn't home?"

"No. Houston is home. I hate it here. I hate my school. I don't have any friends. At least I'm about to get to go spend some time with my cousins."

Donna appears in the door before I can respond to Peter. "Josh, we'd better get going."

Peter looks back down at his book. He obviously thinks our conversation is over. But I don't want to leave it like that. I need to know if it's more that just general teenage unhappiness.

"Peter. Is someone harassing you at school?"

"No. It's fine. I gotta go finish packing." He slides off the bed. "See you later."

"Bye, Peter. Have a nice thanksgiving." Donna brushes her hand over his head as he walks by and looks at me with worried eyes. I wonder if she knows anything more about the situation than I do.

As I scoop Lulu up into my arms, Miranda makes a little pouty face. "Say goodbye to Miranda," I tell Lulu.

"Bye Bye" Lulu offers with a wave. Miranda smiles and waves back.

"Bye Lulu. Happy Thanksgiving."

Donna gives Miranda a hug, and I place a kiss on the top of her head.

"Be good this weekend. We'll see you Monday."

"Bye Tio Josh. Bye Tia Donna." Miranda calls out as we leave her room.'

. . . .

While we are in the VIP lounge waiting to board, I take Lulu's hands in mine and walk her around the room trying to burn off a little energy. Donna spreads a blanket out and dumps some toys on it, so we eventually sit down and play a little.

Before too long, Kevin puts his hand to his ear piece for a minute. "They're ready for you to board."

"Oh good." Donna scoops everything up into the diaper bag, while I pick Lulu up. "We're ready too." She informs Kevin.

He puts his wrist to his mouth. "Copy that. Backpack, Bulldog and Bean in transit."

He leads us out the door, and Susan follows. Once we reach the gate, the airline agent smiles and waves at Lulu as we walk by. Lulu smiles back at her but snuggles deeper into my shoulder. This isn't really a good time for her to nap, but it will be nice if she's this snuggly for the whole flight.

Kevin stands in the aisle as Donna takes her seat. As I'm handing Lulu to her, I hear the unmistakeably snarky sound of what Donna likes to call a "capitol wife."

"Oh great! A baby in first class. There goes our quiet flight."

I lean around Kevin to get a better look and lock eyes with Mr. Jackson, Massachusetts 5th. I give him my best "Don't mess with me stare" and his eyes start to pop out of his head.

As I'm taking my seat, I hear his rather loud whisper. "Shut up, dear! Do you have any idea who that is?!

I have to grin a little at Donna as I sit down. It's nice to know I still have the ability to quell congressmen with a single glance. It's kind of my super-power. That and I'm also the reigning champ at speed diaper changes.

Donna just rolls her eyes, while Lulu reaches out to me. As I settle her on my lap, Donna pulls out the baby flight vest and puts it on Lulu, then hooks the seat belt into mine. I wasn't really sure about this but Donna has convinced me that it will be just as good as a car seat in the case of turbulence.

Next Donna pulls out a pacifier and hands it to Lulu. I don't know why Donna does this every time we fly. Lulu doesn't really use them, and I don't think we really want her to start now.

Lulu puts it in her mouth gives it a couple of sucks, then pulls it out and looks it all over in confusion. I hold out my hand and she gives it to me, so I stick it in my pocket. If she starts fussing, I guess I might offer it to her again, but I doubt it.

Finally, as we start the take off, Donna hands Lulu a sippy cup with some water in it. Hopefully drinking that will help her ears pop.

Lulu's eyes get as big as saucers as the engines rev and we take off down the runaway. Even though she's probably already flown at least 10 times, she's still startled by it. She whimpers a little and I hold her close. "Drink your water, Lulu, it's okay, Daddy's got you."

Once we are to cruising altitude, she settles down against me. "Ohs, Mama?"

Donna produces a container of snacks and a couple of books from the diaper bag. After the first book, Lulu is already squirming.

"Mama" she whines holding out her arms. Donna unbuckles the belt and transfers Lulu over to her lap. "Ohs?"

I give Lulu a few more ohs, while Donna reads her another book. As soon as it's done, Lulu is reaching back to me. "Da-dee. Da-dee."

"No, Lulu. Stay here." Donna tells her, causing Lulu's lip to pop out. She's not a fan of "no."

"Da-dee?" She whimpers a little, breaking my heart. I look to Donna. I want to take Lulu, but I don't want to undermine what Donna just said.

"Read another story with Mama, first Lulu." I hand her "Barnyard Dance" which Donna reads "hoe-down style," causing Lulu to giggle. But again, as soon as the book is done, Lulu is reaching for me.

Donna juggles her back over to my lap with a sigh. Man, it's going to be a long flight.


	3. Chapter 3

As the plane lands, I look over at Josh and smile. Lulu's still snuggled into his chest sleeping. Her schedule is probably going to be off but at least we made it through the flight without a total meltdown. Just a little whining.

When the plane stops taxi-ing and arrives at the gate, Kevin immediately stands in the aisle blocking anyone from trying to rush the door. I unhook Lulu's and Josh's seat belts and grab the diaper bag so we are ready as soon as Susan is ready to escort us off the plane.

An agent is waiting for us with a cart, which zips us through the airport to a private exit where a black SUV is waiting for us. I'm relieved to see that the agents are already loading our suitcases into the trunk.

As Josh gets out of the cart, Lulu opens her eyes and looks around in confusion. He pats her on the back and whispers sweetly into her ear as he moves to put her in the car seat. But as soon as he sets her down, she let's out a howl and starts struggling grasping at him. Josh's eyes bug out of his head as he picks her back up.

"What's the hell's wrong with that seat, Donna?" He growls at me. Lulu startles at his tone, and he immediately switches to a comforting voice. "You're okay, sweetie, Daddy's got you."

Well. This isn't my fault. I didn't install the seat. I give him a look as I check it out, running my hands over the inside of the seat to make sure nothing was poking her.

"The seat's fine, Josh. Just put her in it and let's go."

Lulu is clinging to him, but he tries to put her down again, to the same reaction. She flails her arms and cries, and he gives up after about ten seconds.

"Good grief! Give her to me." I take Lulu and quickly buckle her in, ignoring her cries and struggles. "Lulu! You have to ride in the car seat." I tell her firmly.

"Da-dee! Da-dee!" She howls.

Of course, I have to be the bad guy, while he gets to be the favorite. He stands just outside the car looking unsure about what to do. I can make _that_ easy for him.

"Josh. Get in the car or I'm leaving your ass here."

Josh looks a little stunned but does as he's told.

"What we're you saying about another child?" I snap at him as he slides into the car.

I practically see his hackles raise. But he locks his jaw and doesn't respond. Lulu is crying. Josh is glaring at me. And I'm pissed. I was hoping Lulu would just fall back asleep, but she's still wailing as we make our way towards the expressway. I need to do something. Now. Before I lose my mind.

"Kyle?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Am I seeing a Starbuck's up there?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Go through the drive-thru please."

"Yes, ma'am."

Josh lets out a big sigh of relief, and immediately turns his attentions back to comforting Lulu. "Mama's going to get you some milk, Lulu. Do you want some milk?" Lulu's sobbing slows down to whimpering and Josh gives me a tentative smile.

I should have planned this better. I wonder if we should stop for dinner? It's only about an hour to the Farm. Abbey said she'd have something waiting for us. And I'd really rather get there as soon as possible.

Once Josh and I have coffee and Lulu has a cup of milk, we are all in a better frame of mind.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you about the car seat." Josh offers after a little bit. "I know you didn't have anything to do with it."

"I'm sorry I snapped back. I wouldn't really leave you at the airport."

He raises one eyebrow at me and his mouth tilts up in a barely suppressed smile. "Really?"

"Well, okay, yes, I _have_ considered it before . But I haven't yet, so you're probably safe."

He laughs and leans over and kisses me. "I love you so much. Thanks for the coffee."

Lulu falls asleep again after she finishes her milk. It really could be a crazy night. But as we drive through the countryside, I see the stress slipping off Josh. I'm really glad we are taking a little vacation. Just being away from the District will do him a world of good.

It seems like no sooner than the car pulls to a stop, the front door opens and Jed and Abbey are there smiling. Lulu wakes up as I get her out of the seat, but she puts her head back down on my shoulder as I grab the diaper bag and head up the porch steps.

"Oh! It's so good to see you guys!" Abbey calls out. "Get that baby in here, quick."

Charlie gives Lulu and me a hug as he passes us on the way out to the car to help Josh with the suitcases.

"Look, Lulu. We're at Grandma Abbey's farm. Aunt Zoey's here."

"Zoey?" Lulu perks up a little and looks for her favorite Aunt.

"Hey pumpkin." Zoey holds her arms out, and I'm relieved that Lulu reaches for her.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart?" Abbey asks rubbing her back. At Lulu's nod, Abbey gives her a kiss on the top of her head. "Well, let's go to the kitchen. Soup's on."

Right now, I couldn't love Abbey Bartlet more. If it were my Mom, she'd have snatched Lulu up out of my arms the instant she saw her, without giving Lulu a chance to acclimate. With only seeing these sets of grandparents two or three times a year, Lulu just isn't as used to them as she is to her Bubbe. My mother seems to think that means she should grab her and monopolize her every possible moment. Abbey seems to understand that's not how it works. If she gives Lulu some time to adjust, she'll end up being a lot more comfortable spending time with her in the long run.

When we get to the kitchen, I discover that "soup's on" wasn't just an expression. There is literally a big pot of chicken noodle soup on the stove.

"That smells amazing."

"I thought soup would be a good idea. That way it was ready whenever you got here."

"It's perfect, thank you."

"We're so glad you're here, Donna." Abbey gives me a quick hug, then grabs a ladle. I watch as she drains the broth off and puts some noodles and vegetables in a bowl.

"She can have the chicken too, right?"

"Yes, we just need to make them pretty small pieces."

Abbey grabs a knife and dices a piece of chicken and puts it in the bowl. "There. We'll let that cool off a minute."

"Come on baby doll, let's wash your hand." Zoey tells Lulu, taking her to the sink.

"Abbey, it smells fantastic in here!" Josh announces as he, Charlie, and Jed join us in the kitchen.

"Wash your hands and grab a bowl. We're not being formal tonight." Abbey tells the guys as they file in. She places a basket of rolls on the table, along with a big bowl of salad.

"Josh, Charlie, beer?" Jed asks.

Zoey rolls her eyes at me as she puts Lulu in the high chair. "I'll have one, Dad."

"You aren't old enough for beer, young lady."

"I'm almost 27, Dad!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, Dad!"

Charlie and Josh start laughing at Jed's antics, and Lulu follows suit. She may not know what's funny, but if everyone is laughing she'll join in.

As soon as Abbey puts the bowl of noodles, carrots and chicken on Lulu's tray, she practically inhales it. Again, I feel kind of bad for messing up her schedule. But eating all together like this is really nice, I'm glad we didn't stop on the way.

Josh earns a fond smile from Abbey when he takes a large helping of salad to go with his soup. "How's your blood pressure been?"

"It was a little high this week, but it's averaging 120 over 80."

Abby's brow furrows. "Something going on this week?"

Everyone looks around the table uneasily while Josh and Jed make eye contact without saying anything. In that moment, I'm sure that Jed has been briefed and knows exactly what was going on, he obviously didn't tell Abbey either. Not knowing has me a little freaked out.

Jed quickly changes the subject. "How about this angel? I can't believe how much she's grown in 3 months!"

"Oh, Jed," Abbey scoffs. "You know how fast they grow the first year!"

"Is she walking yet?" He asks Josh.

"No, but she's really close!" Josh looks relieved talk about his favorite subject instead of whatever happened last week. "She can stand on her own, and she can push a walker. It's just a matter of her deciding to take those first steps on her own."

"Well, we have one of those push toys here." Abbey informs him. "But Tori is running everywhere these days. It wouldn't surprise me if Lulu decides to follow her lead."

"When are they going to be here?" I'm looking forward to spending some time with Ellie and Vic. Even though we only see them once a year, we've started to develop a friendship with them. Ellie and I have a lot in common, and it's nice to have someone close to my age who knows what I'm going through as a working mom with a small child.

"Ellie said they'd drive up in the morning. They should be here by 9."

"We can all watch the parade together." Zoey chimes in. "I bet Lulu and Tori will enjoy it a lot more this year."

"Well, since Lulu pretty much slept through everything last year, this will really be the first time. She does like music, so hopefully it will hold her attention for a little while."

"Speaking of holding her attention . . ." Josh chuckles, tilting his head toward her.

Lulu is having a hard time keeping her eyes open. Each blink is getting longer, and her head is bobbing in between them.

Josh starts to push back from the table, but I wave him off. "I've got her. Please eat." He doesn't eat well when he's stressed out and it worries me. We need him to stay healthy.

"I'm finished. I'll go with you." Zoey offers, standing up too.

"Come on sweet pea, say good night to everyone." As I walk Lulu around the table, she accepts a kiss from everyone and offers a soft goodnight.

"I'll be upstairs in a few minutes." Josh announces after giving Lulu a kiss on the forehead.

At the top of the stairs, Zoey points to the right. "You're in the same room as last time."

Abbey put us in Zoey's room, and set up a crib for Lulu in Ellie's old room. They connect by bathroom between them. It's a really nice set up for us. But I feel a little bad. "Hey, can you pull Lulu's pajamas out of that duffle right there. Are you sure you don't mind us taking your room? "

"I don't mind." While she's answering my question, Zoey pulls out a pair of pink fleece footed pajamas, and I nod. "Charlie and I like being out in the guest house." She gives me a mischievous grin. "It's a lot more private."

Last year, Zoey had Liz's old room and Charlie had the guest room, while Ellie and Vic were in the guest house. "How on earth did you manage to get your Dad to agree to that?"

He played it as a joke but Jed was only partially kidding about the beer. In his head, Zoey will always be a little girl, and for as much as he loves Charlie, he's not going to be comfortable with them being together until they actually do get married.

"Oh, I don't think Mom really gave him much choice. Technically they gave us each our own room out there, but deep down they know we are only using one. It's sort of our own little don't ask, don't tell policy. Besides, if Annie and her boyfriend spend the night, they'll need the extra room."

"Have you met the boyfriend yet?"

"Yeah, over the summer at one of Gus's baseball games."

"What's he like?"

"Nice kid. Kind of reminds me of Vic. Not really what I would have expected from our strong, independent Annie. I'd have thought she'd end up with a fellow athlete, or an activist. Neil is quiet, smart, and a little dorky. But he seems to adore her, so I guess that's what matters."

"They're twenty years old. This might not last through Christmas."

"That's true, but they fact that she's willing to bring him home to meet Grandpa Jed and the rest of you says a lot."

"Well, it _is_ a good test." Josh says as he walks into the room. "I mean if he can spend a holiday with all of us and not go running for the hills, there's hope for him."

He stops in front of me, reaches out his arms and gives me the puppy dog eyes, so I hand Lulu over to him. "I'm a member of the clean plate club!" He jokes. "I'll put her to bed, so _you_ can go finish _your_ salad."

I'm glad he's in a good mood now, and I'm really glad he ate all his dinner. I'm willing to relinquish bedtime.

"Good night, baby doll." Lulu barely opens her eyes as I give her a kiss. I think the story is just going to be for Josh's benefit anyway. I'm pretty sure that Lulu will be completely out before he makes it to the end. But routine is good, and since we already skipped her bath, and we are in a strange place, it's probably a good idea to at least go through some of the motions even if it is way past her bedtime.

Zoey follows me back into the kitchen. The table has been cleared except for my salad, so I sit down to finish it.

"Where'd everyone go?"

"Dad and Charlie were playing chess before you guys got here. They're probably back in the study. Mom's probably checking in with Liz. You should let her know if you need anything, Liz could bring it with her tomorrow."

"I'm all set. I gave your mom my list last week."

"What are you making?"

"My Mom's famous Mac-n-cheese."

"What about you?"

"I brought rolls from that bakery in Georgetown."

"Ooooo, I love those."

"Okay, girls, wash your hands and roll up your sleeves," Abbey instructs us briskly as she hustles into the kitchen. "It's time to make the pies."

I can't help but feel a pang of concern. Abbey didn't let me help last year, insisting that I rest and take care of the baby, but I want to pull my own weight this year. I don't want them to think I'm some lazy freeloader just here for a free vacation. I just hope I can prove myself.

Baking with Abbey and Zoey turns out to be fun. Abbey puts the radio on an 80's station and we all sing along and dance around the kitchen while we work. This is completely different than what it's like with my Mom. Abbey isn't particular about how I peel the apples or how thinly Zoey slices them. She laughs at herself as she rolls out the crust and it's less than perfect. And she throws an extra shot in the Bourbon-Pecan pie.

"Keep the kids away from that one!" Zoey laughs.

"Maybe we'll keep that one for just us girls!" Abbey suggests in glee.

Eventually, when we have a few pies cooling and a few more ready to go into the oven, Abbey shoos us out of the kitchen. Zoey and I leave the room smiling and completely stress-free. What a great way to start a holiday weekend.


	4. Chapter 4

Lulu fell fast asleep long before I finish reading Goodnight Moon, but I just sit here with her in my arms. I can't get enough of staring into her little face or watching the rise and fall of her chest as she drifts off into dreamland. I desperately hope that all her dreams are lovely. I'm working so hard to make this world a better, safer place for her.

My desire to keep Donna and Lulu safe and happy is so strong sometimes I swear I can actually taste it. Of course, Sam was right, my first instinct last week was to wrap them in bubble wrap. And if the threats hadn't been resolved, I would have canceled our plans. We would have spend the weekend in the White House with the first family. But once the immediate threat was eliminated, I had to push past my instincts. I already know what it's like to let fear of the unknown stop me from having the life I want. And I've already seen what happens to Donna when I shut her out. I do not want to go back to those days.

Everything feels right in this moment. Even if the trip itself wasn't 100% smooth sailing. We are here together. We have family around us. We will laugh. We will bicker. We will live.

Eventually, I do have to put Lulu in the crib. She needs her sleep and I need to go be with people who understand. I hope Lulu doesn't wake up frightened because she's in a new place. There's no way she'd remember staying here a year ago, and both times we've seen Jed and Abbey this year, they've visited DC.

Lulu sighs a little as I put her down in the crib, so I linger in the doorway a bit longer, but she doesn't wake up. Then I grab the monitor and walk through the bathroom to the room Donna and I are using.

Once I've changed into jeans and a sweatshirt, I check on Lulu one more time before I head downstairs.

Zoey and Donna are coming out of the kitchen giggling. It's a nice sound.

"Hey, you." Donna wraps her arms around me and leans into me. This is my happy place. I swear I could stand here forever just like this. But eventually she lets me go. "Is Lulu zonked out?"

"Yep." I twirl the baby monitor on my finger and grin at her. "Grown up time."

"Great!" Zoey exclaims. "I think my parents want to play scrabble."

Well, thats not exactly what I had in mind, but I suppose we can play. Afterall, I have a 760 SAT word score, how bad could I be?

. . . .

Zoey plays DIVA next to the E on HONE, putting the V on a double letter. "Ugh. Only 15." She whines.

"That's okay sweetheart." Jed soothes her. "You know, the history and etymology for diva is Italian. Literally, goddess, deriving from Latin, being the feminine of divus or divine. I don't know why the word has such a negative connotation these days. I mean, really, it's a good thing."

"I _do_ speak fluent Italian, Dad." Zoey rolls her eyes at me as soon as Jed looks down at his own tiles.

"Aha!" Donna grins at me as she adds LISTER to the end of DIVA. "32"

I'm getting completely killed here. I rearrange my letters again with a sigh, but I'm still not seeing anything impressive. Then it hits me.

F-E-L-L-A-T-I

Oh my god. And it plays. Right there on the end of Polo.

I look around the table and feel my ears turning red. My desire to win is a war with my sense of self-preservation. I have to be able to look Jed Bartlet in the eye for the rest of the weekend.

"Tic-Toc, Josh" He teases me.

Donna smirks at me. It's like she can tell I have an embarrassing word. "Come on, baby, show me what you've got." As she joins in the harassment, my entire face goes red.

"I don't think you're nearly as good as you think you are." Zoey chimes in.

I can't do it. I just can't. I'm about to put the a-t on the P and make Pat for 5 points, when Abbey comes up behind me and starts laughing hysterically.

"Oh, Josh! You have to. It's too funny." She reaches around me and starts putting the tiles on the game board. "Josh and I are a team now. Fellatio, for 10 on a double word score for 20, plus using all our tiles for 50 bonus points. 70 points."

"Excellent word, sweet knees." Jed beams. "You know "Fellatio," comes from the Latin, fellare, to suck. There were quite a few suggestions regarding technique in that sex education report."

Donna's lips quirk up and she shoots me a look. Right here, in the President's study. Oh god. Kill me now.

But Abbey's really having fun. "Ignore those looks that Donna's giving you and draw some new tiles. The sooner this game is over, the sooner the two of you can make an excuse to go upstairs."

"CHARLIE!" Zoey bellows. His head pops up from the other side of the room. I've never understood how he can study with so many distractions around him, but I guess he has years of experience. "You have to come help me. If not, I'm going to get killed."

Charlie closes his book and comes over and stands behind Zoey. He takes a look at the board, and Donna and Abbey's barely contained laughter, and shakes his head slowly, but I catch a glimpse of a smile as he turns to pull a chair closer. This is an odd family, but obviously he's glad to be a part of it. I know exactly how he feels.

When the game is over, Abbey saves us the trouble of finding an excuse to go upstairs.

"Well, time for bed." She announces as she stands up and takes Jed's arm. "Good night everyone. See you in the morning."

"Your Dad seems to be doing really well." Donna offers looking to Zoey for confirmation.

"I think he is. Mom keeps him on a pretty tight leash as far as the kind of food he's eating and the amount of sleep he's getting. He hasnt had a major episode since he left office."

"That's so good to hear!" Donna gives Zoey a hug.

"Yeah, it seems like he'll be around to walk me down the aisle after all."

A look passes between Charlie and Zoey, and I can't help but look at her left hand. It's still blank. I know Charlie wanted to be stable before he put a ring on it, but maybe I need to have a little chat with him about not wasting time. But definitely not right now. Right now, I want to make the most of the rest of the evening with my wife.

It seems like Charlie has a similar idea. He takes Zoey's hand. "Come on, Zo. Let's go to bed."

Donna links her arm through mine and moves us toward the stairs. "Goodnight guys."

"Night!" Zoey calls as she turns off the light in the study.

As soon as we are out of earshot, Donna starts in with the banter. "You know, I read that sex education manual too."

"Really?!"

"Yes, would you like to know what I learned from pages 27 to 33?"

. . . . .

At 6 am, I'm sitting on the edge of the bed dressed in sweats, contemplating going for a run. It's still dark out, and Donna doesn't really like it when I run in the dark. She's concerned that I'll trip or something. Plus it is pretty cold. I'm sure Abbey won't mind if I use her treadmill. On the other hand, it would be nice to watch the sunrise.

Lulu's soft cry immediately makes my decision for me. I'm not surprised that she's up earlier than usual. I expected that yesterday's traveling would throw her off. But I tiptoe into her room just in case she's not really awake yet.

She's so adorable, laying on her stomach with her rump up in the air and her knees tucked under her. Her head is turned away from me so I can't really tell if she's awake. She shifts and her eyes open slowly. When she spots me she grins and sits up.

"Da-dee." She gurgles happily, and I swear my whole being is filled with joy. No one on earth loves me as much as this baby girl. I would do anything for her.

"Good morning, Lulu. Did you sleep well?" I ask her as I pick her up. She snuggles into my shoulder as I rub her back for a few minutes.

"Let's get your diaper changed." It doesn't take long, then we make our way downstairs. I smell coffee so someone must be awake already.

"Good morning!" Jed greets me from the dining room, where he's reading the paper with a coffee cup.

"Good morning. You're up early."

"Old habits die hard. And Abbey makes me go to bed early now so, I'm usually up around 6."

He reaches out and jiggles Lulu's foot. "Good morning Princess. Do you want to sit with your Grandpa Jed while Daddy gets your breakfast?"

He holds his arms open and Lulu leans towards him, so I gently sit her in his lap. "I'll be back in a minute with your milk."

"Ohs, Daddy."

"Yes, and some ohs."

In the kitchen I find a sippy cup in the cupboard and some vitamin D milk in the refrigerator, along with some blueberries and strawberries. That will be a good start while I scramble some eggs. I put everything on the tray of the high chair then walk back into the dining room.

Jed is reading the editorial section of the New York times to Lulu and she's giving him her full attention.

"Do you want me to bring the high chair in here? Or would you like to join us in the kitchen while I make some eggs?"

"I'll join you in there. I'm still not used to watching you cook, Josh! I find it amusing."

I take Lulu from him. For as well as he's doing, he doesn't hold the grandchildren unless he's sitting down. Still, I'm please to see him walk from the dining room to the kitchen without his cane.

"Don't tell Abbey."

Oh great. Now I'm an accomplice. I grab his cane from the dining room and tuck it under the kitchen table.

"No reason to leave the evidence out there."

"I always knew your Daddy was a smart one, Miss Lulu. Now, do you know that the strawberry is the only fruit with the seeds on the outside?"

"Berry." Lulu offers him a blueberry with her fingers and Jed takes it and pops it in his mouth.

"Thank you for sharing."

"Welcome."

Jed beams at me. "She has very good manners. She must get that from Donna."

"You know it."

He studies me for a minute. "So, . . . how are you doing? Last week I was starting to wonder whether you guys would be here this weekend."

"Me too. I can't even describe . . . well, you know what it's like . . . getting intelligence that tells you there is going to be a major terrorist attack, but not knowing exactly where or exactly when. Having to wait around for each piece of the puzzle while trying to figure out all the alternatives to prevent mass destruction, while trying to go on with everyday business so that you don't tip your hand to your enemies, and trying maintain a pleasant demeanor so that you don't completely freak out the people you care about."

Jed looks at me sympathetically. "I _do_ understand."

"I guess I have a better appreciation for you and Leo than I did a few years ago. Heck, even a few months ago. It's different when the potential problem is in your backyard instead of half way around the world."

"You can call me any time Josh. I do get briefings. They aren't as up to the minute as yours, but I have clearance. And l can be a good listener."

"I know. I appreciate it. The hardest thing is not telling Donna. I usually tell her everything. Most of the time she needs to know for her job's sake too. But this time, I just didn't want her to have that feeling . . . you know, that disaster was about to strike at any moment."

"I know. I didn't tell Abbey how close we were this time either. This was a lot like the time with the Golden Gate Bridge. For a while it looked like the attack was going to be on the East Coast. They were preparing the bunker. I didn't tell her then either, but I sent her here."

"Good morning, you three!" Abbey announces herself then places a kiss on the top of Lulu's head. I wonder how much she might have overheard. Oh well, I suspect that Abbey always knows more than she's letting on.

"What are you making there, Joshua?"

"Scrambled eggs. Would you like some?"

"No thanks. I'll stick with my fruit and yogurt. Today will have plenty of calories."

Abbey gets her coffee and breakfast and then sits down next to Jed and gives his hand a squeeze. Yeah, she knows. And she knows just how to comfort him. Maybe I will tell Donna about last week after all.

. . . .

"Shhh, Lulu, let's surprise Mama." I put my finger over her lips as we sneak in the door, but I see Donna smile softly as she hears Lulu giggle. That's actually better, now I don't feel bad about pouncing on her.

Lulu and I jump on the bed. "Mama, mama!" She laughs as she copies me, as I tickle Donna's ribs.

Donna laughs and opens her eyes. "Good morning sweetie!"

"Hi Mama." Lulu answers back as she throws her arms around Donna.

I crawl in next to them and wrap my arms around them too. I'm sure Lulu will only stay this way for a few minutes but I don't want to waste a second of it. This is my happy place. The three of us together. Nothing else in the world matters at this moment.

Sure enough, Lulu starts to squirm after a couple minutes. "Down, Mama."

"Do you want to jump in the shower?" I ask Donna as I grab Lulu before she can crawl towards the edge of the bed. "I can get her dressed and we'll go look at cows or something."

"I've got to get the macaroni and cheese ready to go in the oven. Why don't I do that, then I'll take her in with me when I take a shower. That way she won't smell like cow for Thanksgiving dinner."

"Geez, Donna, we're not going to go ride a cow. They're out in a field. We're just going to look at them."

"Go on, Farm Boy, come back in an hour. I'll be ready then."

"As you wish." I smirks as I scoop up Lulu and head towards the door. She can just wear these footie pajamas during our walk. We really won't be outside that long anyway. "Come on Lulu. Let's go see if we can find a kitten in the barn."

"Kitty?"

"Yes, baby doll, Kitty."

"Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"We ARE NOT taking a kitten home with us, no matter how much Lulu loves them. Understand?"

"Yes, dear."


	5. Chapter 5

As I throw on some jeans and a sweater, I wonder if I'm going to have to be the bad guy about a kitten. It's not that I'm completely opposed to the idea of pets. I'm just opposed to them right now, while we live in a Brownstone, work a gazillion hours and are contemplating another child. Maybe someday when we have a house and less demanding jobs. Plus Lulu is only a year old, she doesn't need a pet. I just know that Josh will be tempted. He just wants to give her everything her little heart might possibly desire.

I'm a little surprised to find myself alone in the kitchen. I'm not really sure if I should poke around the cupboards to find what I need or if I should just wait. But I'd like to get my dish already to go before everyone arrives, that way I can help with whatever else needs to be done.

I'm just going to do it. I find a large pot and get the water going. It takes a couple trys to locate the food processor but once I do, the cheese is shredded in just a few minutes. As I'm cleaning it, Abbey joins me.

"Did you find everything you need?"

"Yes, thank you."

"I'm really looking forward to trying your Macaroni and Cheese. Is that something you used to have at home every Thanksgiving?"

"It was something we'd end up having at some point during the weekend. And Josh really likes it. I thought it would make a good side dish for dinner. I hope that's okay."

"Of course it is, Donna. I appreciate you offering to make something."

"I'll put it all together, then it'll need to cook for a hour before we want to eat it. What time are you planning on Thanksgiving Dinner?"

"I was thinking 6pm. We usually eat at 8 but with the babies, I think we should eat early."

"Maybe I should make the macaroni and cheese for lunch instead of as a side dish then."

"That would be lovely. I was just going to make sandwiches but I'm sure everyone would prefer a hot meal."

The water is boiling so I put the macaroni in to cook, then I find another pot to make the cheese sauce. Abbey watches me mix the butter and flour into a roux, then I add the milk and stir in the cheese.

"Can you stir this while I drain the macaroni?"

"Sure."

Abbey and I work together and before long the macaroni and cheese is in a pan covered in tin foil just waiting to be popped into the oven. It really is nice cooking with her.

"Is there anything else we can do now?"

"We can make the cranberry sauce." Abbey pulls a metal contraption out of a drawer.

"You have a grinder!"

"Yes, you know what this is?"

"Yes, my Mother has one to grind meat for meatballs."

"Can you rinse the cranberries and orange, please." Abbey asks as she hooks the grinder to the countertop.

Once I'm done rinsing everything, she turns the crank as I drop the fruit through the top. We probably could have done this with the food processor, but something about seeing Abbey make the cranberry sauce the same way my Mom does really makes me feel a lot more at home. Someday Lulu and I are going to do this too.

Abbey stirs some sugar into the mixture. "Here, taste this." She instructs as she puts a spoon to my mouth. "Is it too tart?"

"No. It's just right." I look around the kitchen. "Anything else we should do?"

"No, we'll wait for the girls on rest of it. They can help after lunch."

"Honey, I'm home!" Josh calls out as he and Lulu come back in through the front door.

"Hoomee." Lulu copies him in a sing song voice. Abbey grins at me and we go find them together.

Their cheeks are rosey and they both have big grins on their faces. They are utterly adorable.

"Come on, let's get you bathed."

"Okay, by me." Josh retorts wiggling his eyebrows. "But Lulu should probably have a bath too."

"Oh, you two!" Abbey chuckles and heads off towards Jed's study.

. . . . .

"You know, this isn't as good as showering with you. But at least I got a good show." Josh leers as I hand Lulu off to him and he wraps her in a towel.

"Creep." I tell him with a laugh as I start washing my hair.

"You married me." He banters back.

By the time I finish my shower, he has Lulu all dressed for the day.

"This is the right outfit, right?" He asks as he stands her up.

She's wearing a cream colored shirt that has a couple pumpkin appliques and is embroidered with the phrase "Daddy's little pumpkin" on it. Her burnt orange corduroy pants match perfectly.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure that this is one of the outfits that Jed & Abbey sent for her birthday."

"Well, I love it."

"Of course you do. Anything, that let's the world know she's your princess."

"That's not a bad thing, right?"

"No, Josh. It's not a bad thing at all."

. . . . .

Lulu is sitting on Josh's lap watching the parade when we hear the door open.

"We made it!" Ellie calls out. As Jed and Abbey and Zoey and Charlie get up and head into the foyer, I wonder what we should do. Should we hang back and give them some family time?

"I should help Vic with the suitcases." Josh suggests, so I get up and take Lulu from him, then follow him towards the rest of them.

I'm hanging back in the doorway, with Lulu on my hip, when Tori spots us. "Baby Lulu!" She shouts as Ellie gets her coat off her. Then she runs over to me.

"I guess we're chopped liver." Jed grumbles.

"Sorry, Dad. She's been talking about Lulu the whole trip up here." Ellie apologizes as she hangs Tori's coat up and takes her own off. "Let's all go into the living room."

As I sit down on the floor with Lulu on my lap, Tori climbs up on me and hugs Lulu. Then she climbs down and runs over to Jed and climbs up in his chair to give him a hug. Then she squirms down and goes over to Abbey. Zoey and Charlie get similar treatment.

Lulu watches Tori carefully then crawls off my lap and pushes herself up to standing. Everyone seems to hold their breath as she just stands there a minute. Then I hear the front door open and Josh and Vic's voices.

"Josh! C'mere, quick! I think Lulu is going to take her first step!"

He rushes to the doorway then stops. "Hey, Lulu." He calls out to her softly. "Come to Daddy." He holds his arms out and she lifts one foot, then drops to her knees and quickly crawls over to him.

Everyone bursts into laughter and Lulu grins at them. "Little stinker." Josh chides her affectionately. "You really are stubborn."

"I wonder who she gets that from?" Jed teases him.

"She looks like a little flamingo when she does that." Abbey laughs.

"Yeah," Zoey chimes in, "she's been doing that for a while. She keeps us all on our toes."

"Let's watch the parade for a while." Josh settles down on the couch with Lulu on his lap. When I slide in next to him, he wraps his arm around me and we get comfortable.

"Come here, Tori." Jed calls out and she climbs back into his lap and settles down. Everyone else seems to find a spot too and pretty soon we are all watching the parade with a running commentary about the balloons and the bands and the floats.

The girls only make it about 30 minutes before they are restless. Honestly, it's longer than I expected.

Abbey pull out a big basket of toys and that keeps them occupied for another hour. Then Lulu starts yawning. I was kind of worried about this. Her nap schedule has been sort of out of whack for a while. A lot of days she skips the morning nap, but it looks like she needs one today.

"I'm going to take her upstairs and put her down for a nap." I tell the room as I leave.

I know I probably should just put Lulu right into the crib. All the books say that it's good to put babies to bed while they are still awake and let them fall asleep on their own. But I just can't resist sitting down in the chair and rocking her for a bit. This is a strange place, and a strange bed, and it's not her normal schedule. I don't think holding her until she falls asleep is really going to mess anything up any further than vacationing already does.

And it's nice just to have a few moments where I'm not worried about whether we are overstepping. Ellie is so quiet I can never tell whether she resents us taking time away from her parents. I hope not. At least Tori and Lulu seem to get along. Not really playing together but playing next to each other without any issues.

I trace my finger around Lulu's face one more time and her eyes don't open again. But I'm not quite ready to get up and go back yet.

"Looks like she's asleep." Josh whispers from the doorway. Well, I guess that's my queue.

Once I have her settled into the crib, I motion him back through the bathroom into our bedroom. He pulls me close and kisses me passionately, enveloping me in his arms. When he stops kissing me, I rest my head on his shoulder.

"Parade over?"

"No. Just boring. I thought maybe I could interest you in a nap."

"A nap, huh?"

"Or . . . . something." He wiggles his eyebrows at me and I can't help but giggle.

"Yeah, let me just go stick the macaroni and cheese in the oven. Then I'll come back up."

Just as I'm sliding the dish into the oven, Jed comes into the kitchen. "I need to get my bird going."

"Do you want some help?"

"I'd never turn down the opportunity to spend some time with you, Donnatella." He answers me with a fond grin. I just love him.

As I pull the stock pot out of the refrigerator, I can't help but groan a little. "This is pretty heavy."

"It's a 22 pound bird!" Jed exclaims proudly. I'm glad he's not trying to lift this. I hope Abbey put it into the refrigerator.

"Just set the pot on the floor, then pull the bird out and set it on the counter." Jed instructs as he puts a towel on the counter.

"Should I just use my hands?"

"I think that would be easiest." Jed agrees as he goes to the sink to wash his.

I join him and then a few seconds later, I plunge my hands into the water and pull out the slimy bird. To my horror, it slips out of my hands and onto the floor. I feel like I'm going to cry. But as I look up into his eyes, I see they are filled with amusement and he's trying not to laugh.

"I won't tell if you won't, Donnatella. We'll just rinse it off. Once it's cooked, it'll be fine."

Together we manage to rinse the bird and pat it dry. All the while Jed extoiles the virtue of the brine.

"It's the Ainse and Coriander that really give it the flavor. Soaking it in a brine overnight helps keeps it moist."

"Yes, sir."

"Donna. . . ." He gives me a pleading look.

"Sorry, Jed." He really wants us to use his name but sometimes I still slip up. Especially when he's in lecturing mode.

"Now, while the bird is resting, let's make the stuffing. Did you know that if you don't cook the ingredients first, you could make your guests really sick?"

"I _have_ heard that."

"Did your Mom cook the stuffing first?"

"We cooked it in a separate pan."

"Well, then it's not really stuffing, is it?"

"No, I suppose not."

"We're having stuffing. I've decided that I like all of you this year so I already cooked the sausage and the oysters. "

"I'm glad to hear that."

Together we transfer the turkey into the roaster, then Jed points at the table.

"Okay, you're going to take that cheesecloth, fold it in thirds, and stuff it up inside the bird. Make a little pouch for me to fill with the stuffing."

He nods at my efforts and I can't help but feel fulfilled. No matter how basic the chore, it makes me happy to help him.

"Okay, now, hold the legs open." He starts filling the cavity. "So you don't want to pack it in too tightly. There we go. Alright, now tuck the ends of the cheesecloth around it."

I watch as he tucks the wings under the bird, then ties the legs together with kitchen twine. Then he rubs it with butter, then shakes salt and pepper all over it.

"I'll get Charlie to put it in the oven for us."

"Good idea, Jed. I'm going to check on Lulu and Josh. That macaroni and cheese will be done in 15 minutes."

Jed leans over and gives my cheek a kiss. "Thanks for your help, Donna."

That was nice. I feel a little bad for leaving Josh upstairs for so long. But when I open the door, I discover him sleeping. I guess he really did need a nap.

As I turn to leave his voice stops me. "Hey. Standing me up twice?"

"Sorry babe, I was needed in the kitchen."

"Scut work?"

" _Presidential_ scut work."

He chuckles a little and opens his arms, so I kick off my shoes and join him on the bed.

"You know we don't really have time for anything, don't you? Lunch will be ready in 10 minutes, and Lulu will be awake soon."

"Sounds like just the right amount of time to hold my wife."

"Okay."

We lay there a few minutes, with Josh stroking my hair. A few times it seems like he about to say something, but then he stops himself. "You okay?" I finally ask him.

"About last week . . ."

"Da-dee!" Lulu's call interrupts him before he can say anything more. "Mama!"

"Hold that thought a second. I'll go get her and be right back." I tell him as I start to get up.

"No, I don't want to talk about it in front of her, even if she can't understand. Let's just get her ready for lunch. We can talk about it later."

"Are you sure? I can probably find someone to hand her off to if you need to talk now."

"I'm sure. I'm fine."

I give him a once over just to be sure, then I go to get Lulu. He does look okay, and he's been less stressed since he got here. But I want to be here for him. I want to share in the burdens that weigh him down. Everything is always better when we work together.

"Hey Lulu."

"Mama! Mama!" She's standing in her crib smiling at me. I'm glad she's not freaked out about being in a different place.

"Are you hungry?" I ask as I lift her out.

"Ohs?"

"How about macaroni and cheese? Let's get your diaper changed then we can go have lunch with Tori."

"Tori?"

Once I have Lulu all set, we head downstairs together. Whatever Josh is going to tell me will have to wait until later.


	6. Chapter 6

"Donna! This is fantastic! This needs to be part of our Thanksgiving tradition from now on."

I can't help but feel my chest puff up as Jed praises Donna. I know I had nothing to do with it but she's my wife. I married well.

Donna is blushing prettily too. I love that she still hasn't completely outgrown this. While I think she finally has an idea about how valuable she is, she's still turns a little pink when people she admires remind her of the fact.

"Good job using your fork, Lulu." Abbey smiles at her.

"Me too, Grandma!" Tori waves her fork in the air.

"Yes, you too, Tori. You've been using your fork for awhile. I'm glad you are setting a good example for Lulu."

Tori beams at Abbey, and Ellie gives her a little proud smile.

"I get down now." Tori tells Ellie.

Ellie wrinkles her nose a little, and glances at her parents. Then she chides Tori a little over her manners. It must be a Mom-thing.

"Tori, is that how we ask?"

"Peas! I get down now!" Tori states a even more emphatically.

"Down Da-dee, peas." Lulu copies her new friend. But she said please and that's good enough for me.

"Sure, baby girl."

I grab a wash cloth from the sink and clean her up. "You want this?" I show Vic the washcloth. He nods and hold his hand up, so I toss it to him. He catches it and starts in on Tori as I'm pulling Lulu out of the high chair.

"So girls, should we go watch some Football?"

Vic looks to Ellie uncertainly, but at her nod he agrees, and follows me out of the room. I suspect he's not really into sports. But it's Thanksgiving day. We _have_ to watch football. It's like a rule or something. Besides, if we play with the kids in the den, the women folk will clean up and eventually make us more yummy food.

We settle down on the floor with some toys and I aim the remote at the television.

"What game are we watching?"

"Detroit v. Tennessee is on now."

"Is it going to be a good game?"

"I doubt it. The Lions haven't won at all this season. They're 0 and 11."

"You're a Detroit fan?" Vic asks in disbelief.

"God no!" Why would he think that? "Their fans are masochists."

Vic chuckles. "So are you a Tennessee fan?"

"Not really."

"Why are we watching this game?"

"It's Thanksgiving."

Vic nods his head in confused agreement. But he stops asking questions, so I let it go. If he doesn't understand why we watch football on Thanksgiving, I don't think I can explain it to him. It's just what you do.

We spend most of our time playing with the girls, just barely keeping an eye on the game.

Lulu is dropping blocks into a shape sorter, while Tori is stacking little plastic cups into a tower. When they fall down she laughs. Lulu giggles and crawls over and hands Tori one of the cups. Tori starts stacking them again and Lulu watches her for a minute, then knocks the tower down. I wonder if I should scold her, but Tori laughs again and I feel relieved. I know Lulu wasn't trying to be mean.

Tori loses interest in the cups and runs over to the basket of toys to see what else is in it. Lulu crawls over to Tori and then pushes herself up and stands next to her. A moment later, Tori reaches down into the basket, pulls out a doll, and trots over to Vic. Lulu reaches down,grabs a stuffed dog, then turns and toddles over to me.

Three steps in, it occurs to me that she's walking. And Donna's missing it!

"DONNA!"

As soon as I bellow, Lulu stops, startled, and plops down on her bottom.

"I'm sorry, sweetie!" I tell her. "You're walking! You have to do that again for Mama!"

"Joshua." Donna admonishes me. "Why are you yelling for me?"

"Lulu just took her first steps."

"No, she didn't."

"Yes, really. Vic saw it. Didn't you Vic?"

"She took about three steps." Vic reports.

"Darn it! I wanted to see her first steps!" Donna whines. I feel bad for her, but I'm really glad I was here.

"Come on, Lulu. You need to show Mama." I stand Lulu up facing Donna. "Go on, take the doggie to Mama."

"Come here, baby. Bring me the doggie." Donna holds out her arms, but Lulu stands in place.

Suddenly, Vic has an idea. "Tori, take the baby to Miss Donna." Tori gets up and runs to Donna with the doll.

And that's all it takes. Lulu follows after her with the little doggie clutched in her hands. Everyone holds their breath and eight steps later, Donna is scooping Lulu up into a gigantic hug.

"You did it, baby girl! You're a walker. Go back to Daddy."

I hold out my arms. "C'mere, Lulu." Lulu walks back to me grinning the whole time. I scoop her up and plaster her face with kisses. "What a good girl you are!"

All the laughter and excitement draws the attention of the rest of the Bartlets, and pretty soon Lulu is making the rounds between Jed and Abbey, Zoey and Charlie, and even Ellie and Vic.

None of us notice when the Westin family arrives.

"What's all the excitement in here?" Liz Bartlet looks into the room in apparent shock at the chaos.

"Lulu just learned to walk!" Abbey calls out delightedly.

"Well, she _is_ a year old." Liz responds in a slightly frosty tone. I see Donna recoil a little and pull Lulu a little closer.

Liz and I will never be best friends, but I thought things had improved to at least civility between us since she donated to Santos' campaign two years ago. Everything seemed fine last Thanksgiving. I don't know what's ruffled her feathers today, but she'd better watch herself. I'm not going to tolerate any hostility towards my family.

Annie comes rushing into the room. "Lulu! That's fantastic! Let me see!" Her enthusiasm makes up for Liz's cold shoulder, so I let it go.

"Come give your Grandpa a kiss, Annie." She walks over to Jed and places a kiss on his cheek.

"Hi, Grandpa."

"Now, what's this about you bringing a young man with you? Well, where is he?"

"He's helping Dad bring some things in from the car. You're going to be nice, aren't you?"

"When am I ever not nice?" Jed responds with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, you threatened me with the 82nd Airborne." Charlie pipes up.

"Me too." I add.

"Well, the 82nd Airborne doesn't work for him anymore." Abbey intercedes. "So there'll be no threats this time. Right, Jed?"

Jed looks over to me. "Hey Josh, doesn't the FBI work for you?"

"Why yes, Mr. President. I believe they do." I respond with a grin. Annie might not be my niece, but she's only a little older than Anna. I'd be happy to run a background check on her boyfriend.

"Josh! The Secret Service already checked him out!" Abbey admonishes. "He's a perfectly nice young man."

"Thank you, Grandma." Annie gives Abbey a big grin. And then when she hears the door open, she bounces out into the hallway.

Abbey follows behind her and we hear her directing Doug, Gus and Neil where to put the groceries.

"C'mere, Lulu." I hold my arms open again, and Donna turns Lulu towards me. She toddles my way with a grin that I can't help returning. This is really fun.

When she gets to me, she plops down into my lap. "Story, Da-dee?" She asks with a yawn.

Donna glances at her watch. "Maybe she could use another nap."

"Good idea. Come on, Lulu. I'll read you a story upstairs."

I get up from the floor with Lulu tucked into my side. I may grumble about salads, but eating better and working out more is really paying off.

"Donna? You want to join us for story time?" She stood me up earlier, but maybe we can try again for some alone time, after Lulu falls asleep.

"Sure." Donna responds with a smirk. Charlie just rolls his eyes. He's probably jealous that he doesn't have a kid to give him some cover to get Zoey into bed in the middle of the day.

As we are passing the kitchen, we hear Liz's sharp voice. "I don't know why we are eating so early today anyway!"

"Because Tori and Lulu go to bed at 8. I want to have dinner early enough to accommodate their schedules."

"You never accommodated Annie or Gus!"

Donna stiffens, but I keep my hand on the small of her back and urge her along. We don't really need to witness the family squabbling.

When we get into our room, Donna lets out a ragged breath. "Oh, I hope we haven't messed everything up."

"We didn't Donna. Abbey has her own ideas about family holidays. She and Liz bickering is really nothing new. They'll be over it by dinner."

"Still, I think I should go back down there and help in the kitchen. I'll have to take a raincheck on that nap. Is that okay?"

"Of course. If you want to help with dinner, that's fine. I've got Lulu."

"Thanks, babe." She gives me a quick kiss and heads back out the door.

"Well, Miss Lulu. It's you and me for story time. What should we read?"

"Farm, Da-dee."

"Good choice, baby."

Lulu and I settle into the rocking chair. I start with _First Farm Words_. Lulu points at the pictures with me, and repeats words for a little bit, before she goes quiet. After a few minutes, I switch to _The Year at Maple Hill Farm_. She leans back against me and listens, her eyes drooping to half mast before long. By the end of the story, I'm pretty sure she's asleep. But I hold her close, and rock her a few more minutes before I get up and lay her down.

When I come back downstairs, all the men are gathered in the den. Vic still looks uninterested in the game, but Charlie, Gus, and Doug are watching.

"What's the score?"

"Rob Bironas just kicked a 49 yard field goal. Titans are up 38 to 10."

"Josh, come here." Jed calls from across the room. "Have you met Neil yet?"

A rather studious looking young man is sitting across from him. This must be Annie's boyfriend. He doesn't look dangerous. But when it comes to daughters, one can never be too cautious.

"I haven't." Neil stands up as I walk over. Well, that's polite. I stick out my hand. "Josh Lyman."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lyman. Of course, I know who you are."

"You do? And please, call me Josh."

"I'm a Poli-sci major at Harvard."

"No kidding?"

"Really. And I'm on the Crimson."

"Well, Neil. You can sit next to me during dinner."

. . . . . .

"Okay, everyone. Dinner's ready." Abbey announces from the door. I pick Lulu up and carry her into the kitchen to wash her hands, then join the others in the dining room.

I stop in front of Donna. She looks me and Lulu over, then gives a little nod of approval. I've always loved it when she does that. Her little nod has given me just the right boost of confidence on many occasions.

There are little name cards at our places. Guess Neil's on his own. I guide Donna to our seats, then get Lulu strapped into the high chair.

As soon as we are all seated, Jed looks around the table at us fondly.

"I just want to say, that by anyone's standards, I am an exceedingly blessed man. But the measurement that matters to me, is sitting around this table right now. And for that, I am profoundly thankful. Let's pray."

He bows his head.

"Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts, which we are about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

All of the Bartlets join him in the prayer and cross themselves when they are finished.

Charlie and Donna echo the Amen. I may not repeat the same prayer, but I whole heartedly agree with the sentiment. I am thankful.

As the food is being passed, I notice something.

"Is this table bigger than last year?"

"Nothing gets by you, Josh." Liz heckles me, but I don't take the bait.

"No, really. We all _just_ fit last year, and we had 3 less seats. Did you get a new table?"

Donna rolls her eyes, while Abbey chuckles. "You're a smart man, Josh, and that's a stupid question."

Everyone laughs, but finally Jed takes pity on me. "We've got all four leaves in, Josh. The family is growing. But, you know, there's still room for more. We'll make space more grandchildren." He looks around the room at each couple, except for Annie and Neil.

Of course. It wouldn't be a holiday unless the folks suggested baby-making. Not that I'm opposed to baby-making. I'm really quite fond of it. And Donna and I are good at it. Just look at our results! We really could do it again. I'm ready.

While I'm thinking about more babies, Jed carves the turkey with a flourish, and I can't help but observe that Charlie watches him with a particular look of pride. There's an underlying current there, that I don't quite get. I'll have to ask him about it later.

The rest of dinner is a fun family affair. Dishes being passed. Everyone talking and laughing. And the food is outstanding.

Finally, when we are all stuffed and leaning away from the table, Abbey smirks and asks, "Who is going to do the dishes?"

I'm quick to shout out, "It's Liz's turn!"

She rolls her eyes. "You're like the obnoxious brother I never had or wanted."

"Love you too, Liz."

Charlie just shakes his head. "Come on, Josh. You and me."

. . . . . . .

Once I'm elbows deep in hot sudsy water, it occurs to me that I really do have to get Charlie back into politics when he's done with law school. His style is different than mine, but he has a way of getting things done.

"So, Charlie, I noticed this last year, and again this year. Something passes between you and Jed when he carves the turkey. An inside joke?"

"A few years ago, on Thanksgiving, he gave me a carving knife. The one that had been passed down from Father to Son in this family for over 200 years. I was stunned. Zoey and I weren't even really dating anymore right then. But he gave it to me, and called me his son. I never had a father, but the President of the United States thought of me as a son! And you know what, I owe it all to you. I can never thank you enough for hiring me."

"Hey Charlie, I'm lucky to know you. You're like the little brother, I never had. And I _did_ always want one! The only thing you ever owed me was to make the most of the opportunity, and you did that. I'm so proud of you."

"Well, I'd still like to find a way to thank you. Do you think that asking you to being my best man, would cover it?"

"Hell, yeah! When did you pop the question?"

"I actually haven't yet."

"You know, it's traditional to ask your future bride to marry you before you start asking groomsmen."

"You worried she's gonna say no?"

"NO! You're not worried are you?"

"No, we've been talking about getting married. We picked out the ring together. But she wants me to surprise her with the actual proposal. She's probably thinking Christmas. But I could do it this weekend. The ring was finished ahead of schedule. She doesn't know that I have it."

"Excellent. We'd better get busy. What are your ideas?"


	7. Chapter 7

Lulu and Tori are sleeping, and Gus is off doing his own thing. That means the adults can relax in front of the fireplace. As everyone settles in, Jed gets a gleam in his eye that seems to indicate he's in a story-telling mood.

"Can I get anyone another drink?" Abbey offers to stall a bit more.

But Zoey gives Josh an evil grin and gets things rolling. "You know, Mom, I've been wanting to try a grasshopper for about 8 years now."

"You are truly evil, little girl." Josh fake growls at her.

But Jed grins and picks up the cue. "Ah yes, Josh," Jed chortles, "Lets talk about that little adventure to the Georgetown Pub, shall we? Has your perspective changed any since having a daughter of your own?"

Josh's face goes from joking with Zoey to totally serious in about 3 seconds flat.

"I don't think I've heard this story." Ellie chimes in, looking towards me to see if I will tell it.

"Sorry, I wasn't there, I don't really know it either."

"I told you about it." Josh mumbles to me. "Remember, I told you saving someone's virtue was hungry work and I sent you out for sandwiches and you stole my change."

"Nice try on changing the subject, Buckminster, but I'm sensing there is a lot more to the story than that. Maybe you should tell us what you'd have done different now that we have a daughter."

"Well, first of all, I would have gone out for malteds!" Josh laughs.

Jed laughs along with him. "You see what I'm saying, now."

Zoey looks disgruntled. "Well, I'm glad you weren't Dad-mode then. Big Brother was bad enough."

"What exactly happened?" Ellie asks again. Josh squares his shoulders and dives into the narrative. If he isn't going to be able to avoid having the story told, at least he can control the spin.

"Charlie and I were going out for a beer."

"Because the President suggested it!" Charlie's intervenes. "I know he asked you to take me out. Because I didn't have a life."

"I didn't have a life either, Charlie! I was happy to get out of the building too, until the girls crashed our male bonding." Josh looks back towards Ellie. "Mallory and Zoey decided to join us. Zoey told me it was basically an order from your Dad."

"I wanted to experience some college life!" Zoey is quick to explain under her father's glare.

"You wanted to hang out with Charlie!" Josh accuses her.

"Well, yeah, that too. I mean have you seen how cute he is?" Zoey smirks at Josh, giving Charlie's hand a little squeeze.

"No, I hadn't really noticed." Josh smirks back, causing Charlie to roll his eyes. "But I might remind you that this big brother is the guy that hired him, and the guy that introduced the two of you. So you might show a little gratitude."

Zoey takes over telling the story, turning to Ellie. "Anyway, the waitress forgot to bring CJ's Grasshopper, so I went to the bar to watch them make it and a couple guys started flirting with me. They were giving me a little bit of a vibe, but I was handling it. I didn't give them my real name." Zoey shoots her Dad a look. "Then Charlie came up to "rescue me" and they started hassling him."

"They were corralling you, Zo! They weren't just being friendly. They had you surrounded and they were moving you towards the door!" Charlie sounds exasperated with her even now.

Josh pipes in again. "Sam noticed what was going on, so he and I headed up to the bar too. Charlie was doing a good job of trying to resolve it peacefully, but as soon as I heard an implied threat, I hit Zoey's panic button and the Secret Service took care of the rest."

Jed gives Zoey a look that I interpret as an admonishment for not having her panic button on her person. I recognize it as the same look I got from Josh the one time I accidentally left mine in the office and went out to lunch with my staff. He was not a happy husband that day, even though Jackie was with me the whole time!

I can still hear his lecture ringing in my ears, so try to lighten the mood for Zoey's sake. "Keeping your panic button on you at all times is very important, Zoey." I state in a mechanical robot voice, and Zoey laughs.

Josh gives me a look, then turns back to Zoey. "Yuck it, up squirt. But it saved our butts that day." Josh wags a finger at her, then turns to me again. "I'll deal with you later."

His serious Dad-voice causes everyone in the room to burst into laughter. Except Jed, who just looks proud.

"Oh, Josh, who'd have thought we'd see this day." Abbey chuckles wiping her eyes.

At 10pm, Abbey makes Jed go to bed, and the rest of us quickly follow. It sounds like Zoey, Charlie, Annie, Neil and Gus will probably hang out for a while, since they are all in the guest house, but Ellie & Vic look like they have the same idea as Josh and I. Get to bed to have some alone time while the kids are asleep.

As I'm getting ready for bed, Josh is bouncing around the room.

"I know something you don't know!"

"We already did that this trip. I told you on the plane, I already knew about Bram and Karen."

"That's not what I'm talking about!"

He smirks at me in the mirror while I finish washing my face. Hmmm. It has to be new information, or he would have already spilled the beans. He was with the guys during the football game, so it could be any one of them. He was talking to Neil privately for a few minutes. He and Charlie were alone while doing the dishes.

OH! I bet Charlie is going to propose. I turn around ready to burst his bubble, but he looks so eager, so happy, I just can't do it. He had a really bad week last week, and this trip is supposed to be fun and relaxing.

"Well? Are you going to tell me?"

"I don't know. Maybe I should make you wait. . . . Punish you a little bit for teasing me downstairs."

I press myself closer to him. "I thought you liked it when I teased you." I give him a quick kiss and then walk away, swaying my hips. He trots after me and we climb into bed.

"Charlie's going to propose to Zoey and he wants our help!" He blurts out.

"Wow! You held out almost a minute and a half there. Some punishment."

Josh slides closer to me and opens his arms, so I snuggle into him, with my head on his chest.

"I don't _really_ like keeping secrets from you." He's serious now. I guess we're going to have that conversation.

"I know."

"There are times I have to. But sometimes, I just don't want you to be stressed out too. I don't want you to be worried and scared right along with me."

"I'm stronger than you think."

"Oh, baby. I know how strong you are. It's not that I don't think you could handle it. Hell, you'd probably handle it better that me. It's just I remember the bright-eyed optimistic girl that hired herself. I don't want to lay the weight of the world on her shoulders."

"Josh, neither of us are the same people we were a decade ago. And I'm glad. We have to keep growing to make the world a better place. And everything is easier if you have a team. I always want to be on your team. You don't have to carry extra weight to try to protect me."

He leans down, and kisses the top of my head. And his hand is making a soothing circuit over my hair.

"We stopped a major terrorist attack. A sleeper cell in New York. They were building three bombs. They were going to load them in trucks. Initally we thought that the targets might be airports during the holiday travel, but when we took them down we found schematics for Times Square, the National Mall, and Coney Island. Based on the amount of explosives, it would have been large scale destruction."

"It's over, right? We got them."

"I don't think it's really ever going to be over. We have to keep getting them. We have to stay vigilant and not let our guard down."

"So that's what we'll do. We'll stand guard. Someday it'll be someone else's turn to stand guard. But in the meantime, we're not going to stop living, right? Because we aren't going to let them scare us into giving up the good parts."

"Right."

I roll over on top of him. "I love you. Thanks for sharing your burdens with me." Then I give him a long, slow kiss. I can take some of the weight off his shoulders, and replace it with love.

. . . . .

It's barely the crack of dawn when he gets up in the morning.

"Good grief! As early as you get up, you could go Black Friday shopping with my Mother."

The look on Josh's face at my announcement is one of abject horror. He's immediately apologetic.

"I'm sorry I woke you. Please promise you'll never subject me to that particular form of torture. I'll do anything."

"Mmmmm, anything?" I raise an eyebrow at him. I've got something in mind. A continuation of last night. Something he never finds torturous.

"Oh, baby. I do like the way you think."

He crawls back into bed and proves it to me.

. . . . .

When he gets out of bed the second time, he's got a satisfied grin on his face.

"As much fun as that exercise was, I need to go for a run. You good with that? I'll be back in about 45 minutes."

"Sure. Lulu should be up soon. So I'm going to hop in the shower now."

He looks a little disappointed at that, but that's the nature of having kids. It'll be nap time before we'd have a change to shower together anyway, and as much as I like showering with him, I'd rather have one before I go downstairs and face people.

For a second, it looks like he's thinking about skipping his run, but I'm glad when he laces up his sneakers. Working out several days a week is one of the ways that he shows us he loves us.

"Okay. See you when I get back. And unfortunately, we really do need to venture into town. I promised Charlie we'd get some supplies. I hope it's not too nutsy-bananas."

"We'll go after lunch. We'll be fine. In fact, I'll ask Zoey to watch Lulu so that we can have alone time. That way there's no danger of her finding out what we're up to."

"You're a mastermind! Love you!" He gives me a quick kiss and heads out the door.

As soon as I'm done with my shower, I check in on Lulu. I'm relieved to see her still asleep. I'm glad I have time to do my hair and make-up.

I'm just finishing up when I hear her call for Josh and I. Da-dee is first, as always. The bond they have is really special, and he usually is the one who gets her first thing in the morning.

At least she's not disappointed when I'm the one who shows up.

"Hi, Mama! Hi!" She greets me with glee. I'm so lucky to have a mostly happy baby.

"Hi Dolly. You ready to get up?"

"Up, up!"

As I lift her out of the crib, I snuggle her close and give her a good morning kiss on her cheek. I'm rewarded with some pats on the back and a loud smacking kiss of my own.

"Let's get you dressed. I'm sure Grandma Abbey can't wait to see you."

I made it a point to pack both the outfits that Abbey sent for Lulu's birthday. They spoil her, and they don't get to see her that often. I want Abbey to see that I appreciate the clothes. Then tomorrow's outfit will be something Zoey gave us.

This one has a light pink turtleneck onesie to go under chocolate colored velour overalls that have tiny pink dots and a little pink ribbon at the waist. It's sweetly understated. It also came with little matching cupcake barrettes. I'm glad Lulu has enough hair to keep them in.

"All right. Let's go find some food."

When we walk into the kitchen we are greeted by the appropriate oooos and aaaaahs from Jed and Abbey, who are sitting at the table sipping coffee.

"Oh, she's darling! I just love Gymboree, don't you?"

"Yes, Abbey, you've got great taste. You've got me hooked. And don't tell Josh that I told you, but I found him on the website the other day too. He picked out her whole Christmas outfit. I can't wait to get pictures!"

I settle Lulu into the high chair while Abbey and I are chatting. Then get Lulu some milk and cereal.

"There's yogurt in the fridge." Abbey offers, so I help myself. I hope she doesn't mind.

Lulu lets me feed her spoonfuls of yogurt in between popping cheerios in her mouth. Normally I'd encourage her to practice with a spoon, but I don't want her to make a mess of her outfit or Abbey's kitchen.

I hear the front door open and close and a few minutes later Josh comes into the kitchen sweaty and gross and beautiful. I'm sure he stinks. And when he comes over and hugs me I'll protest, but I'm glad he's mine.

He grabs a glass of water and quickly drinks it before pouring himself another. Then he takes a banana off the bunch and starts in on it. Abbey is nodding her head in approval, clearly pleased at what she sees.

Josh gives her a quick grin in acknowledgement and nothing more is said.

"Da-dee, nana!"

Josh pauses before he finishes it off. "Lulu, do you want some banana?"

"Yes, nana."

"Ba-na-na, Lulu." He tries again to get her to say it correctly. He's always very gentle and loving, but he spends a lot of time trying to teach her things.

"Ba-na-na." She repeats and holds out her hand.

He gives her a small piece, and as she chews her reward, Jed and Abbey look on with pride.

"Alright. I'm going to take a shower. I'll be back down in a bit." Josh remarks as he heads out of the kitchen.

Once he's gone, Jed turns to me and grasps my hand. "I don't know, Donna. Sometimes I hardly recognize him for the man he's become. But then I see you like this and I realizes that really the two of you have just brought out the best parts of him. They were there all along, he just needed someone to share them with."

I lean over and give Jed a kiss on the cheek. I can't think of a nicer compliment. But it's more for Josh, than me. I can't take credit for the man Josh has become, any more that he can take credit for who I am. But I am profoundly thankful that we've become us.


	8. Chapter 8

I poke my head into the den, where another fairly intense game of scrabble is ongoing. I'm glad to see that Donna's just a spectator. "Lulu's down for her nap, you ready to go?"

"Yep. You're good, right Zoey?"

"Yes. Charlie and I are perfectly capable of babysitting a sleeping child. Aren't we, Charlie?"

"Whatever you say, Zo."

"Here's the monitor." As I hand it off to Charlie, I give him some instructions. "She'll probably sleep about 90 minutes. When she gets up she'll probably thirsty. Water is fine. She might want some ohs too."

"Josh!" Zoey rolls her eyes. "We've got it. And if for any reason we didn't have it. My parents have raised 3 children fairly sucessfully. Plus Vic and Ellie are around here somewhere. We've got it covered."

"Okay. Hopefully we won't be gone for very long. We're only going to Target. I mean, how bad could it be?"

. . . .

"Oh my god, Donna! It's a zoo in here."

Donna just smirks at me, while my agent, Dave, looks like he'd like to shoot me himself. If we are in here too long, I might just ask him to. "Just remember, this was your idea. No whining."

Her agent, Kyle looks away quickly, and I think he's smirking, but by the time he looks back my way, he's covered it.

Donna seems oblivious and just continues giving me directions. "Grab a cart, and let's get this over with."

Then Donna charges ahead with Kyle at her side. Dave and I have to move quickly to keep up. I definitely don't want to lost her in this crowd. She heads straight to the Christmas section. I wonder how she knew where it would be? Once we get there she stops and starts looking over several boxes of lights. Reading the descriptions and mumbling to herself.

"Not the icicle. I think we want these smaller, twinkle lights, don't you?" She finally asks, holding up a box.

I just give her a look. "Charlie asked us to make the barn look nice. I don't think he has a preference, and I sure as hell know that I don't. Whatever you think works is fine with me."

She throws a few boxes in the cart then thinks about it for a few seconds before throwing a couple more in. "Better safe than sorry." She mumbles.

"Okay, now for home decor." She announces grabbing the cart and pushing it at a fast clip towards another part of the store.

As we walk past the children's clothing department, I pause. "Maybe we should look at some outfits for Lulu?"

"She doesn't need anything! Between you and the grandparents, she can barely wear all the clothes she has!"

"What about pajamas? Look- that sign says they're only $5! That's a great price!

"Look in the bin and tell me what you see." Donna suggests in a smug voice.

"Um. One top and a pair of socks."

"Exactly."

"Where are the $5 pajamas?"

"Oh, Josh. If you wanted bargains, you needed to be here when the store opened."

"What time was that?"

"6 am."

"Really? People got here at 6 am?"

"Yes, but some truly insane people got here a 4 or 5am and waiting in line outside so they could be the first one in the door."

"Why would the do that?"

"Televisions."

"TV made them do it?"

"No, the stores puts Televisions and other electronics on sale pretty cheap and people wait in line to buy them. See the arrows on the floor?"

I look down and sure enough, there are arrows made out of tape on the floor.

"That's to direct traffic. There were lines of people weaving all through out this store a few hours ago."

"That's insane!"

"My Mother and sister and I used to do it every year."

I open my mouth, and then shut it abruptly. There are several things I really want to say, but I can't imagine that any of them would end well for me.

Donna raises an eyebrow at me and smirks. She knows that I'm biting my tongue.

There's a long uncomfortable pause while we wait to see whether or not I crack.

"Good boy." Donna finally murmurs, giving me a kiss on the cheek before continuing her trek through the store.

I trot along after her, fairly pleased with myself. Somewhere along the way, I manage to snag a store circular and my eyes are fully opened to the wonders of Black Friday.

"Donna! They have digital photos frames for $59! We should get those for the grandparents. Then they'll always have current photos of Lulu!"

"We don't have a digital camera."

"Well, funny you should mention that. They have a digital camera on sale for $89!"

"We have a nice camera."

"Yeah. But it's not digital. I think we should get one. It's the wave of the future."

"And you do like to be on the cutting edge of technology." Donna deadpans.

"You're just a mouth full of wiseass today, aren't you?"

"What can I say, it's Black Friday!"

. . . .

When the manager is done putting the Target bags in the trunk, including the one holding a small digital camera and three digital photo frames, I open the SUV door and hold it for Donna.

"No."

"No?"

"Oh, no. We're not done shopping yet. We're going to Michael's."

"Who is Michael?"

"Michael's. It's a craft store. It's right there. We can walk." She points to another store further down in the strip mall.

I look to Dave, and he nods, then motions to the agent driving the SUV to follow us.

As we walk through the door, the first thing I notice is that the checkout line is about 30 deep. Thank God we won't have to wait in it. Normally, Donna doesn't like to have special treatment, but even she was willing to have the secret service instruct the manager at Target to check us out at customer service with no waiting. We are definitely doing that here too.

"What kind of hell is this?"

"I told you it's a craft store. We need some tulle and burlap."

"It's a barn. Doesn't it already have burlap bags?"

"We need some NICE burlap."

"Alright." I'm not sure what the difference between regular and nice burlap is exactly, but Donna's got that look about her that says that she knows, and that it's in my best interest not to question her.

. . . . .

After we get the tulle, and the "nice" burlap, and a cart full of other things, we end up in the fake flower section.

"What are you getting here?"

"Rose petals."

"No."

"What?"

"No. I've let you run the show up until now. But I'm putting my foot down. No fake flowers."

" _You're putting your foot down?_ " Donna repeats incredulously, and for a second, I'm tempted to backtrack. But no. One thing I've learned is that there are times to back track and times to double down. This is for Charlie.

"Yes. I'm putting my foot down. No fake flowers. We'll find a florist. I would _never_ give you fake flowers, and Charlie and Zoey aren't going to start the rest of their life together with them either."

Donna actually beams at me. "Okay."

. . . . .

Once we are in the car, Dave turns around, "Where next, sir?"

"Are you from around here?"

"Yes, sir."

"We need a good florist."

"Yes, sir."

When we pull up in front of Ellen's Flowers, I'm relieved to see that there's only one car in the parking lot. Dave looks pleased too.

We walk in the door, and a little bell rings. Then someone calls out from the back, "Just a minute."

Donna looks at me and shrugs. "Roses?"

"I'll take care of it." Flowers are my thing.

I have to smile to myself when a little old man comes to the front counter. Perfect. I'll bet he's the owner. A guy like this, on a day like this. I bet he knows his flowers.

He looks a little taken back to see the four of us standing there. "Can I help you?"

I stride forward with my hand out. "I'm Josh Lyman."

"I'm Frank Williams."

"Are you the owner?"

"Yes, I am. What can I do for you?"

"I love your shop. I'm going to need quite a few flowers. I'm helping a friend propose to his girlfriend. My wife and I are going to decorate a barn and that's where he's going to do it."

"Excellent."

"So . . . I need a dozen long stem red roses for him to give her. Those need to be nicely boxed. Then I'm going to need some rose petals to scatter on the floor. I think a mixture of some red, white, and pink."

"Very good."

"And then some flowers to put in some mason jars and old bottles, but not roses, maybe daisies or black-eye Susans?"

"I have some Osteospermum Asti White. They have a dark center instead of yellow. They'll have that rustic feel but they won't draw away from the red, white, and pink color scheme."

"Perfect. How soon can you have all this together?"

"Oh about an hour. Faster if you'd like to pluck the roses yourself."

"Well, Mr. Williams,"

"Call me, Frank, please."

"Well, Frank, we don't mind plucking but we want to be as stealth as possible when we get back to the farm. Would it be alright if we did it right here?"

"Not at all. Why don't the two of you join me back in the work room. You can leave one of your agents here and one can come guard the back door while we work."

So he knows who the agents are. I wonder if he follows politics or if he just watches a lot of television.

I look to Dave to make sure he's okay with this plan and he nods once and signals to Kyle to stay put.

"Let me just check the back, sir. Please stay here a minute."

Frank grins and opens the little half door in the counter to let Dave through. "Right this way."

While Dave is gone with Frank, Donna and I look at all the flowers in the cooler.

"Oh! I really like those ones!" Donna exclaims, pointing to a bucket of pink _Queen of Sweden_ roses. I'll have to keep that in mind. I'm sure we have another anniversary coming up soon. Maybe the anniversary of the day we moved everything out of her old apartment?

"It's all clear, sir. There's just one back exit. I'll take that." Dave announces, then disappears back into the rear of the store.

"So, what did he think? That I'd have an assassin hiding in the basement just in case the White House Chief of Staff stopped by on Black Friday?" Frank chuckles.

So, he does know who we are. Well, I guess that answers that. And he earns himself a quick grin from Donna for his comment. "I know! Right?"

"Okay, you two. Help an old man out here. Mr. Lyman, can you grab that bucket of white roses? Mrs. Lyman, you grab the pink. And I'll grab the red, here."

"Okay," Donna answers, "but if we are going to call you Frank, then you have to call us Josh and Donna." Donna's response earns her a quick grin from Frank. I can tell they are going to be fast friends.

We each take our bucket and follow Frank back to his work area. He's got a large butcher block table with several stools around it.

"Okay. Here's what you are going to do. Each of you take a rose. Now, Grip the closed bud very lightly just below the petals. Squeeze around the base just below the petals and gently twist the stem to loosen the petals. Grip very carefully to avoid bruising them. You can place them in this plastic container. When you think you have enough petals, we can count the stems to see how many you used. Okay? While you are doing that, I'll work on the rest of the order."

"Okay, thank you."

"So, Frank, how long have you owned this shop?" Donna asks as she begins working on de-petaling her first rose.

"Well, my wife and I started it in 1955, the year after we were married. She loved flowers, my Ellen. She inherited just a bit of money from her Grandparents and we used it to start this business. We ran it together for 50 years before she passed."

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss!" Donna exclaims, and I see her blink a few times.

"Yes, I miss her very much." Frank replies, stopping to pat Donna's hand. "The kids have suggested that I close up shop. But I have such happy memories here, I don't want to leave. When I'm surrounded by flowers, it still feels like Ellen is with me."

"That's very sweet. So you were married for over Fifty years! Any tips for us?"

"Sure." Frank looks me right in the eye. "Your wife is always right."

Donna bursts into laughter. "Oh, Frank! I like you."

Donna's eyes are sparkling, and her cheeks are a little flushed. She always looks amazing when she laughs. And I like anyone who makes my wife look at me like that.

"But seriously, kids. Here's the secret. My wife's mother actually told her this, and as much as I like to make Mother-in-law jokes like the next guy, she was really quite a remarkable lady. She said that her mother said to make a list of ten things that you'd forgive your spouse for no matter what. Except don't actually write it down. Then anytime your spouse does something that annoys you, just say to yourself, boy, he's lucky that's on the list!"

Donna smiles at Frank. "Oh. That's a good idea."

"Really? Do I do that many things that annoy you, Donnatella?" I ask in a sassy tone and give her a little grin. It never hurts to pull out the dimples.

"Less and less every day, Joshua." Donna replies seriously. "You've become quite the extraordinary man, husband, and father. I couldn't ask for better."

Her sincere response stuns me for a second. Then I lean over and give her a long kiss. I don't care if Frank is watching!

When we pull apart, Frank is looking at us fondly. "Aaah. I see you already know the secret. You kids will be just fine."

We chat a bit more about local politics, and, believe it or not, the weather. Then when we are all ready to go, I pay the bill, which seems far less than it should be.

As we are almost out the door, Frank calls out, "you tell Charlie Young that Frank Williams said that Zoey Bartlet is a fine woman, and that their love can withstand anything the world throws at them."

"Sure thing."


	9. Chapter 9

Once Josh and I finish in the old barn, we slip back into the house. We find everyone in the study. Lulu and Tori are toddling around the room, taking toys from Jed and Abbey to Ellie and Vic to Zoey and Charlie, then around again. I'm not quite sure what the game is, but everyone is laughing and talking and having a good time.

I hang back in the door frame, just watching the scene. I feel kind of bad intruding in the family time. But Josh charges into the room and plops himself down in the middle of the action. Lulu squeals and runs over to him climbing into his lap.

Abbey catches my eye from across the room and smiles enigmatically at me. "Donna, come walk with me."

"Yes, Ma'am." I say automatically.

She gives a little eye roll and shakes her head. I glance towards Josh and he smiles encouragingly at me. I'm suddenly feeling a little nervous. Does he know what Abbey wants to talk about?

I haven't spent a lot of alone time with Abbey since the Transition when she was mentoring me for the COS job. Usually, the four of us are all together, often in a large group, and then the President and others dominate the conversation. I enjoy it.

Last year, Lulu was so small. Abbey really did make us feel right at home, she played both Doctor with me, and mother to Josh, admonishing him to take good care of me and wait on me hand and foot.

But this year is different. I don't really need doctoring, and Josh is really doing such a great job as a Dad and Husband that she doesn't really need to give him a lot of advice. I don't really know what she wants to talk to me about.

Maybe there's something about my job that she thinks I can improve? Or maybe it's about Lulu?

Once we have our heavy coats on, we walk out towards the animal barn. I hope we aren't going to see the horses. My hopes are dashed as we walk in and Abbey heads to a stall. I stand back at the door nervously. I could go over there and pet the horses nose, I suppose, but I really don't want to. I hope that isn't rude. I really try to do everything right while I'm here, but it can be so stressful. I wasn't raised in this environment, and sometimes I feel like I have a neon sign over my head reminding everyone that I'm from a middle class background and I'm completely out of my element.

Abbey looks over and gives me a genuine smile, "Why, Donna! Are you afraid of horses?!"

"Yes, Ma'am," I answer softly, cursing myself a bit for my honesty. I should have denied it and just sucked it up and gone over to her.

Abbey laughs a little. "Oh, Donna."

She leaves the horse and walks up to me, then slips her arm through mine and leads me out of the barn back toward the house.

"Donna, how many children do I have?"

Is this a trick question? I sense that I may be falling into a trap. "Um, three?" I choose the obvious answer, even though I'm guessing it's not what she's looking for.

"No, I have eight. Plus four lovely grandchildren."

I must look a little perplexed as she guides me towards the swing on the porch and we sit down together.

"The good Lord gave me three beautiful daughters to raise, then he gave me a disheveled son in his mid-thirties. For all intents and purposes, Jed adopted Josh in that airport the night of the Illinois primary. And I did too. Although, I have to tell you sometimes he is more trouble than the girls!"

She chuckles and I laugh with her. I quickly see where this is going. I knew that she and Jed consider Josh to be a son. So four children plus their spouses, that's 8.

"During that campaign, he also gave me another daughter. A beautiful young woman, in her mid-twenties, smart as a whip, brave as could be, but a little insecure."

I'm a little stunned. If she's saying what I think she's saying, then she saying she's considered me part of the family even before Josh and I figured out what we really meant to each other. Can that really be what she means?

"But . . . ." I don't even know how to articulate a question. It would be morifying to assume that she thinks of me as family and be wrong. Finally, some words tumble out all on their own.

"I sort of thought you wanted Amy and Josh to get together."

"No, Donna. I've known that you and Josh had something special since the first time I saw you together. I knew that Amy was just a distraction. Your place in this family isn't because of Josh. It's because of you. You remind me so much of Jed, even more so than any of the other girls. You have his compassion, and his love for trivia, and his child-like faith that if you try hard enough you can solve whatever life throws at you."

I feel tears start to gather in my eyes and I want to blink them away. But Abbey looks at me so sweetly, that a couple spill over. This is one of the nicest things that anyone has ever said to me.

"Oh Donna, you're just perfect. I think God always intended you to be a part of this family. We're so glad you've let us adopt you. And giving us another Granddaughter, well that's just a total bonus. Lulu is just delightful. She and Tori are going to be such good friends. And you know, you and Ellie and Zoey could each give us a couple more."

She gives me a little smirk. Honestly, the last thing she said it the one that drove it all home, such a Mom thing to do, asking for more grandchildren.

"Thank you Abbey, that means so much." I'm tempted to tell her that we're about ready to start trying. Even after the crazy trip up here, Josh and I are on the same page. I get butterflies in my stomach thinking about it, but I'm going to go off the pill next month.

"So is everything ready in the other barn?" Abbey gives me a sly smile. Neither Josh or I have said anything, but like most parents, Jed and Abbey have picked up the clues that we're up to something. And I'm sure the fact that we didn't include Charlie and Zoey in the shopping, gave them enough of an idea about what's about to go down.

"Yes." I grin broadly at her. She might already know, but I'm still not going to actually tell her.

"You'll videotape it, right?"

Oh, she definitely knows.

"Yes. Josh bought a new camera!"

. . . . . . . . . .

Josh and I are laying in a hay loft, he's got his hand up my shirt and he's nibbling on my neck. It's very enjoyable, but if we don't stop within a few minutes we're going to cross a line that's hard to come back from.

"Hey."

"Hay is for horses."

"Funny. Seriously. . . . . mmmmm, you've got to stop that."

"You don't sound like you want me to stop."

"I didn't say I wanted you to stop, I said, you've got to stop."

To his credit, he does stop. But he doesn't remove his hand. Instead, he leaves it on my breast and smirks at me.

"There. I stopped." He looks deep into my eyes for a minute, then grins.

"J _osh_!" I hiss as he gives my nipple a little tweak. Damn. The man is good. He really does know what I like. But we need to lay here quietly. And I know just how to encourage him to be patient.

"You know, I promised Abbey that we'd videotape this. And if we miss it, I'm going to tell her EXACTLY what we were doing instead.

That sobers him up instantly. And he pulls his hand out of my shirt, grumbling. "You know, sometimes you're no fun." But he gives me the little smile that assures me that he's just kidding.

"After Zoey and Charlie leave, we'll have the barn to ourselves. Then I'll really make an outdoorsman of you."

Josh's grin gets wider, and he's about to banter back, when we hear Charlie and Zoey's voices just outside the barn door. I can't quite make out what they are saying but they are animated, and Zoey's laughing. Probably at whatever stupid excuse Charlie came up with to get her out here.

Now that the show is about to begin, Josh shifts into operative mode. He's quiet and intent. I know he spent some time studying his new camera this afternoon to make sure he knows how to work it. Others may think that he's disheveled and does thing haphazardly, but I've always known the truth. When he decides to do something, he does it to the best of his ability. God. That turns me on.

The barn door opens, and I'm really glad that I can see Zoey's reaction unobstructed.

She steps through and then stops short, taking it all in. The barn glows from the small lights hanging from the ceiling and wrapped around the beams.

I found an old wooden ladder, and placed several framed photos of Charlie and Zoey at various stages in their relationship on the rungs, along with some mason jars and old glass bottles filled with the daisies. There are more flowers placed in just the right locations to give a softness and femininity to the space.

Directly in front of he,r there are some hay bales, with lanterns and LED candles, placed around them. And propped against one, the wooden framed chalkboard, where Charlie has written, _Zoey, will you marry me?_

Zoey gasps and turns around to find Charlie on one knee in the middle of rose petals, holding up a box.

"YES!" She shrieks.

Charlie gets the biggest grin I've ever seen on his face. I don't think that he ever doubted that she'd say yes. I mean, they've been working up to this for 8 years. They really aren't much faster than we were. But still there is something magical about the moment when it happens. Even when it's on a plane, with no fanfare. Suddenly, you're engaged and the world just settles into place.

I feel the tears sliding down my face just as Josh looks over at me. His brow immediately furrows. He hates seeing me cry. But then it unfurrows just as quickly, and he gives me a soft smile. He finally understands that sometimes girls cry when they are happy. He reaches over with one hand and finds mine, giving it a firm squeeze.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Zoey continues, hauling Charlie up to his feet to plant a huge kiss on him.

Josh lets out a small "Whooop!" I give him a playful glare and he immediately covers his mouth, looking chagrined.

When she's done kissing Charlie, Zoey looks up into the loft. "I already knew you were up there! Come down here and Congratulate me! I'm getting married!"

Josh and I scramble down the ladder as quickly as possible. It's amazing to be a part of this moment. Charlie and Zoey really do feel like the younger siblings that neither of us had.

Josh wraps Zoey up in a bear hug. "I'm so happy for you squirt. Charlie is absolutely the best. The two of you deserve all the happiness in the world."

"Thanks, Josh." She murmurs into his shoulder.

At the same time, I give Charlie a hug. "Good job, Charlie. I'm really happy for you guys."

"Thanks for your help, Donna. This place looks incredible."

We switch places. Zoey shows me the ring, then rocks me back and forth as she hugs me happily.

"Thank you so much Donna! I know that you did this. It's just perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better setting for the proposal."

"Well, Josh helped."

She gives me a look that says she doesn't really believe it.

"Really. He did. The flowers are all him."

"Well then, I'm impressed, Josh. I didn't know you had it in you." Zoey teases him.

Josh claps Charlie on the back. "You've still got time to back out, man. Are you sure you want to be stuck with the little brat for the rest of your life?"

Zoey sticks her tongue out at Josh's teasing, and I can't help but laugh as she proves his point. She really is his kid sister.

"Yes." Charlie answers softly, "I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

At that, Josh and Zoey both get serious again. Zoey grabs Charlie and kisses him again. "God, I love you so much."

"Come on," Josh gestures towards the door, "we'd better go tell the folks. I'm sure they are in there waiting."

"They know?" Zoey wrinkles her nose. "I am the last one to find out?"

"You're not last, Zo." Charlie assures her, taking her hand. "I did ask your Dad's blessing, but I didn't tell him that I was proposing this weekend." He looks to us. "You guys didn't tell anyone did you?"

"No," I promise him. "We didn't tell, but Abbey caught us sneaking some of the photos out of the house. Josh isn't very stealthy, you know."

"Hey!" He complains, "you got caught too."

"She didn't ask us what we were doing, but that's usually a sure sign that she already had an idea. And when we were chatting she seemed to know. She just asked me to videotape it."

"Well, I'm glad you did! Charlie did a good job!"

"Well, I just followed your instructions. 1. Pick a nice setting. 2. Try to surprise me. 3. Make sure someone videotapes it."

Josh gives me an eye roll, but I think Zoey is smart. She knows what she wants and she's not afraid to ask for it. And Charlie likes knowing exactly what to do. They really are a good pair.

"You're a good man, Charlie." Josh claps him on the back again.

We follow Zoey and Charlie into the living room, where sure enough, everyone has gathered. Somehow, Abbey's even got Liz and Doug back to the house.

"We're engaged!" Zoey announces without preamble. Her Mom and sisters immediately swarm her.

"Let me see the ring."

"Oh it's gorgeous."

"Great job, Charlie!"

"Congratulations, we're so happy for you guys."

Josh and I hold hands and grin at each other. This is a crazy family, but it really is ours, because sometimes family is what you make for yourself.

Lulu spots us and comes toddling towards us. Just before she arrives, Josh leans over and whispers in my ear-

"You still owe me a romp in the hay."

I give him a quick grin. Sure, why not? Just one more thing to make it a memorable New Hampshire Thanksgiving.


End file.
